Arsenal: 5 reasons Mikel Arteta should not be sacked

Arsenal: 5 reasons Mikel Arteta should not be sacked – yet

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta on the sidelines during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on August 28, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) /

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Arsenal’s English midfielder Emile Smith Rowe celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Arsenal. (Photo by SHAUN BOTTERILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

3. The Run in the Second Half of Last Season

We want to see signs of progression. What signs of progression have we seen? Well, accumulating the third highest number of points in the Premier League from the Boxing Day win over Chelsea onwards was a fairly conclusive sign of that.

It’s what supporters have held onto over the summer.

That run, coupled with investment in the squad and the removal of deadwood, would be the springboard to improve on that run of form further. Attend to those seven key squad positions, or at least as many of them as is feasibly possible in a single window, and then look to maintain that spell into the coming campaign.

Seeing the upturn in the underlying metrics – xG going up and xG conceded dropping – together with greater point accumulation was encouraging. There were still issues of fine margins and some poor performance en route, but only five league matches ended in defeat following that Chelsea win.

That was the closest we’ve come to seeing what it is Arteta wants to build. Once he gets his key men back fit and available, can that return in finer fettle?

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