In his first full season in charge at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to an eighth place Premier League finish, meaning a 25-year run of participation in European competition would be coming to an end.
In the first three Premier League games of the following season, Arsenal lost to Brentford, to Chelsea and to Manchester City, scoring none and conceding nine.
The Arsenal board kept faith in Arteta because they believed in him. The rest is - and will be - history.