When does Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal position become untenable?

Here we sit. Three games, three losses, nine goals conceded, zero points, and rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. It is the darkest of times at Arsenal and the man who is firmly in the firing line is Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard is under severe pressure to produce positive results with the club’s only win since the start of the year, a 6-0 success over a youthful West Brom side in the EFL Cup. The humbling at the hands of Manchester City was the latest in a long line of unacceptable performances that Arteta has overseen.

After last season, Arteta made it clear that the club had to be ruthless in its player clear out, something that at the time was seen as a breath of fresh air. However, when team news dropped on Saturday against Manchester City, Sead Kolasinac and Calum Chambers were both handed starts.

In Chambers’ case, it was more of necessity with Hector Bellerin, Gabriel, and Ben White unavailable but when it comes to Kolasinac, Arteta has to shoulder the blame. Essentially out the door with a contract cancellation in the offing, Kolasinac was handed a start over Pablo Mari.

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How long does Mikel Arteta have at Arsenal until his position as manager becomes untenable? £150m has been spent and the fixtures to come will determine his fate

It was no secret that Mari was bullied against Romelu Lukaku, but there are better defenders who will suffer a similar fate. Mari had to start against City with Kolasinac on his way out, yet Arteta chose to play someone who the club is actively trying to shove out the door.

Why this is only the manager will know, but it does show where the club is at during this troublesome time.

Tipped by many to be sacked the morning after the City thumping, there are no signs as of yet that the Spaniard will be relieved of his duties. It does seem counterproductive that the club would invest so much money into the squad only to show Arteta the door three games into the league season. A £150m total spend has followed since.

Already under pressure after the club’s eighth-placed finish last season, that has only intensified – and it would not be inconceivable nor surprising to see Arteta lose his job. But when does it become untenable?

This has not been the last six months that have led to this, it has been the last 20 months.

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1433112557619974152

Far too many times, Arteta has got everything wrong. From tactics, team selection, in-game management, and off-field player movement, it all has been unacceptable.

It is hard to see exactly what Arteta’s gameplan is, especially against City, and he, along with his team, looked completely bereft of ideas as to how to change the momentum. There was no fight and no desire to work for each other on the pitch and that stems from the manager. This is not something new, this has been the case from last season.

In terms of transfers and player movement, one player that springs to mind, especially after the first three games is William Saliba. Deemed to be not at the level required to play for Arsenal, the 19-year-old was subsequently sent out on loan again.

With Saliba loaned out, that tells us that Arteta holds Rob Holding, Pablo Mari, Sead Kolasinac, and Calum Chambers above the Frenchman, which for many is laughable. After spending £27m on the defender two years ago, surely the club does not spend that amount on a player to have them loaned out. Would his inclusion change any of the results? Most likely not, but at least fans would have some understanding and have some leniency towards him simply because of his raw talent and his age.

On the other side of that, the list of players mentioned above, when mistakes are made, there is  room for error as they are experienced players and are said to be better equipped to play for Arsenal than Saliba is. Yet mistakes aren’t punished. Non-negotiables are no longer non-negotiable.

The Saliba situation is just one of the baffling decisions made by the club and Arteta as was whoever gave the green light to Willian’s three-year deal (which thankfully is now over), Cedric’s four-year deal, and the decision to sign Granit Xhaka to a new deal when he had two feet out the door to Roma beggars belief.

Arsenal are in crisis and truth be told, have been for the best part of 18 months. However, it is not all Arteta’s fault although he does shoulder most of the blame.

Injuries and Covid has ravaged his squad at the start of the league season. Gabriel, Ben White, Thomas Partey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Alexandre Lacazette have all missed games this season with all five unavailable against Chelsea and only Ben White playing against Brentford. Not to mention the late arrival of Martin Odegaard.

The argument can be made that had all been fit, the results would have been different, but the bigger issue is Arteta can’t make it work with the players he has at his disposal. No defensive awareness, signs of tactics or a working gameplan leave many fans scratching their heads as to why Arteta is still in his job right now.

It is believed that the next run of fixtures will determine Arteta’s fate. Premier League games against Norwich (H), Burnley (A), Tottenham (H), Brighton (A), and Crystal Palace (H) in the league leave little to no room for error when Arteta returns from the international break. Anything less than four wins from these will surely result in him being shown the door.

But when? If the home clash with Norwich is a calamity is he shown the door? Burnley? A humbling against Tottenham? When his position does become untenable can’t be pre-scripted. If the same issues remain against Canaries, it may already be then.