Mikel Arteta has learned how to navigate storms during his time at Arsenal — and now he is hoping to negotiate another one that is brewing.
More than any other club, Arsenal seem to lurch from calm to crisis, but Arteta has always successfully managed to steady the ship.
Under the Spaniard, they have never lost three games in a row in all competitions, despite losing two on the spin seven times, and Arteta will be desperate to keep that record in tact when Arsenal play at Southampton on Saturday.
Defeats by Crystal Palace and Brighton since the international break have allowed Tottenham to leapfrog them into fourth place in the Premier League and, ahead of games against Chelsea and Manchester United next week, Arsenal need to get back to winning ways.
“We know that this route is taking us nowhere, especially where we want to be,” said Arteta after last Saturday’s home defeat by Brighton.
If Arsenal are to rediscover the form that had many last month tipping them to qualify for the Champions League, then they need Alexandre Lacazette to start firing.
The striker’s last goal from open play came against Saturday’s opponents on December 11. Since then, the Frenchman has only found the net twice — and both of those came from penalties.
Lacazette’s woes leave Arteta in a difficult position, as the prospect of dropping him is hardly an appealing one. Arsenal’s captaincy struggles this season are well known, and benching their current skipper with eight games to go would surely only add to that.
There is also the issue of who is a genuine alternative to Lacazette. Eddie Nketiah, Arsenal’s only other recognised striker, has not scored a Premier League goal all season.
Gabriel Martinelli could be moved into the middle, but there are questions about his ability to lead the line. Lacazette’s lack of goals is a problem but during Arsenal’s good run in February and March, his link-up play was allowing Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Martinelli to flourish around him.
“We need to score more goals, that’s for sure — and that’s a collective issue,” Arteta said last week, when quizzed about Lacazette’s form.
This is a young Arsenal team and they are already lacking in senior players, given Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey are out through injury. Dropping Lacazette would reduce that number further — and there is also the issue of deciding what to do with Granit Xhaka.
The midfielder filled in at left-back last week against Brighton, but you could sense his hunger to shift centrally and influence the game more. Against Southampton, with Partey still sidelined, returning Xhaka to his preferred role could give Arsenal some much-needed stability.
Their top-four hopes are far from dead, and they are just three points off Spurs in fourth, with a game in hand and the north London derby to come next month.
Arteta has, however, been here before, and that should give him confidence.
The rescheduled Tottenham game comes after matches against Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham, which is why Arsenal must find form now. If they cannot click against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton, then that does not bode well for the tougher tests ahead.
Arteta has, however, been here before, and that should give him confidence. The first time Arsenal lost two games in the spin under him, the second of those defeats came against Brighton. Then, just like now, questions were being asked of Arsenal, but they responded by beating Southampton.
After losing against Brighton last weekend and suffering two defeats in succession, Arteta will be hoping history repeats itself on Saturday.
