Just two games into the Premier League season, is it really acceptable to be discussing the future of a manager already?
In the case of Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, arguably yes.
The Spaniard has already had a full season under his belt and the abject manner in which the Gunners played throughout almost the entire campaign had to be addressed from the get go in 2021/22.
Two games in, two defeats, no goals.
What’s more, the team have looked directionless, and that’s the most damning indictment of Arteta’s reign.
He has some fabulous talent at his disposal but isn’t using them correctly.
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Throwing money at the problem doesn’t address the underlying issues, one of which is that the manager simply isn’t good enough to lead this group of players.
Witness the two goals in the Chelsea game, both of which were created from Arsenal’s left-hand side.
It’s true that no further goals were scored but the ease with which the Blues were able to consistently raid down that side, showed an inability from Arteta to react.
You have to fear for the north Londoners when they play Manchester City, but even a decent result against the reigning champions can’t disguise the truth.