COMMENT: For Mikel Arteta, this is a challenge. It's new ground. Unchartered territory. And for Arsenal's young manager, it must be said, he's stumbling...
This wasn't in the script. Three defeats in five Premier League games. Defeats which should've been three-point bankers against West Ham at home and Fulham away. An opportunity to not only take charge at the top of the table, but to put daylight between themselves and Arsenal's nearest rivals. Yet, it was missed.
Instead, the Gunners - now beyond the halfway point of the season - find themselves in fourth place. Five points behind leaders Liverpool. And the excuses, if any are to be raised, will ring hollow.
This isn't the collapse of '22/23. William Saliba is fully fit. As is Gabriel Jesus. There's a £110m addition in the middle of the park in Declan Rice. There's a £65m signing in the final third in Kai Havertz. And as far as the youth of this team, it's now older - and should be wiser - compared to last season's version. Yes, there are some key absences, but nothing - unlike last season - that cannot be covered. In every aspect, at least on paper, the team that was outplayed and outfought at Fulham were stronger than what finished as Arsenal's XI last May.
Personnel. Quality. Depth. This Arsenal team is the superior version. But they're floundering. Scrambling. And it's coming from the manager.
“We are really short," Arteta complained on the eve of those back-to-back derby defeats. "We have positions that we have been very exposed for the last six weeks and hopefully we are going to get players back.
“If there is something that we can [do to] improve the squad and that needs appear, and we cannot fulfill it with players here, we are always going to be open to do that because we want to be stronger."
Yes, Arsenal are short in certain positions - particularly at centre-forward. But the quality available to Arteta for these past two Premier League games should've been enough to secure six points.
Instead, they're flat. Almost lethargic. On paper Arsenal dominated these past two games, but fans, the neutral observer, they know different. There's a lack of snap and energy in Arsenal's play. And it's something that needs to come from the manager.
This is a test for Arteta. A situation he's yet to experience in his burgeoning career: Expectation. In the past he could lean on personality clashes. Then on the youth of his players. But now? Well, now he has a team that should be top of the table. That should, when having 30 shots on target, be finding a way to win. This all comes from the manager. And the solution, at this stage in the season, should be found internally. Complaining about a lack of options, given the squad Arteta has, is ringing hollow.
Of course in Turin, with the January transfer window swung wide open, it's been suggested Dusan Vlahovic was offered to Arsenal this week. The man who chose Juventus over the Gunners two years ago can be signed for 50m quid.
On reputation, it's a good deal. And perhaps getting away from the straitjacket of Max Allegri's tactical demands will work for the Serb. But would he make an instant difference for Arsenal? Could Vlahovic parachute in, shake-off his form woes with the Bianconeri, and suddenly start scoring in a new league and in a new country...?
It's the stuff of fantasy calcio, isn't it? Or at least, a massive, massive roll of the dice by Arteta. Going for a top four finish. Yeah, you could understand the gamble. But in a title race? When you're looking for that critical extra five per cent? It's very rare such January deals succeed.
And for Vlahovic, ditto Ivan Toney. Yes, unlike Vlahovic, he knows the Premier League. But does he know a title battle? Or even a top four race? And this is all before considering the six months he's been out of the game.
For this column, Arsenal bringing in a new centre-forward would be understandable. But it's also reaching. The hope of a new No9 proving Arteta's silver bullet is a long shot. Indeed, we'd argue it's an unnecessary long shot.
After 20 games of this Premier League campaign, Arsenal have shown they have a squad as strong as any in the country. And for these current stumbles, the solution won't be found in the market, but in the manager.
With it all to play for, only Mikel Arteta can prove both Arsenal - and himself - are more than simply pretenders.
