Arsenal have been “in freefall and haven’t fixed things in six years”, says Charlie Nicholas, but Mikel Arteta has offered enough encouragement to suggest that he can be the man to turn the tide.
The Gunners could only muster an eighth-place finish in the Premier League during the 2019-20 campaign, and that is a long way short of expectation in north London, with the three-time title winners having taken in a humbling fall from grace.
FA Cup glory could still salvage their season and offer a route into European competition for 2020-21.
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Major silverware would, however, be masking serious faults, with Arsenal having been in decline for some time now.