Mikel Arteta took charge of his first game as a manager when he was in the dugout for Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with A.F.C Bournemouth. He will have realised the size of the task at hand after the draw with the Premier League’s 16th placed side, who sit just four points below the Gunners. Though one aspect of the performance the Spanish boss was pleased with was how his new squad got themselves back into the game after going a goal down.
In his first post-match press conference, Arteta described the Gunners’ attitude, desire and commitment as “better than he expected”. Though it should not come as too much of a surprise to the new boss as his side have now rescued ten points this season from losing positions. Twice the Gunners have gone on to win games from going a goal down, against West Ham United and Aston Villa. Furthermore, on four occasions they have conceded the opening goal to allow Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Norwich City and Bournemouth to go ahead before pinning them back level later in the game.
It should be a worry to Arteta, not a surprise, that his side showed the effort to get back into a game, as far too often this season Arsenal have only produced what is required of them when it matters most. Even then, a club of their stature who have the strike force of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazzette should be seeing off sides such as Villa, the Saints, the Hammers, the Cherries and the Canaries, all of whom are fighting for survival in the Premier League.
Instead, far too often Arsenal have conceded the lead and required a late comeback to pick up points. It is that mentality which Arteta will be attempting to shift in the current months.
Had the Gunners defeated the three sides they drew against after going a goal down who are fighting in a relegation battle, they would be six points better off. If Arsenal were sitting on 30 points, they would be in fifth place, a win away from Champions League football. Instead, they are in the bottom half of the table closer to the relegation zone that elite European football.
Arteta finds himself with a sizeable challenge in transforming the North London outfit’s domestic fate, yet the Spaniard is likely to be energised and enthused by the potential of this Arsenal side as opposed to the dread and doom that could have been expected to surround his arrival at The Emirates given his new side’s current form in the Premier League.
