Mikel Arteta is lined up to take the fall if the club continues on its trajectory, but it's been a series of top-level decisions that have led to the current situation.
If there's been one constant for Arsenal this season, it's been the rollercoaster nature of its play. Why is it that the Gunners can't sustain a good run of form?
Mikel Arteta served as Pep Guardiola's deputy at Man City. Now at Arsenal, where his methods have clearly taken hold, is he on his way to outstripping his mentor?
This Arsenal is nowhere near the finished article—as the opening quarter of the FA Cup Final made clear. But there is at least a sense of a plan and purpose.