BBC Sport’s Arsenal correspondent, Alex Howell:
It is not in question that Mikel Arteta has transformed Arsenal since taking over as manager in 2019.
That progress had renewed optimism in north London and, after pushing Manchester City to the final day of the Premier League season in the last campaign, many thought this would be the year that Arsenal finally lifted silverware.
But on Sunday there was a unique atmosphere of desperation created in the ground.
Some supporters left when the team was trailing with a decent chunk of time left against Newcastle, and that frustration also spilled into the Manchester United game.
Two losses back-to-back at home in cup competitions has started to create a feeling that it may be another campaign where Arsenal miss out on the top prizes.
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The fanbase is now at odds over where to lay the blame. This team does not look markedly different from last year, where the same personnel produced a record-breaking season.
Fundamentally, Arteta isn’t the one fluffing chances and missing penalties – it’s more a story of individuals underdelivering. The players are the same, the performances are not.
Critics of Arteta, though, will point to his failure to strengthen Arsenal’s attacking line in recent transfer windows. The vocal ‘Arteta out’ brigade are revising the previous seasons’ successes as either luck, or a dramatic overachievement that actually just masked fundamental issues with Arsenal’s squad.
That misplaced faith in things like Kai Havertz’s consistency, which I think is a symptom of inexperience, not arrogance or stubbornness, has left the team ill-equipped to handle fluctuations in form.
Now, our attention turns to Wednesday’s north London derby with a significant level of dread. Win, and Arsenal will at least stop the rot. But if Spurs leave the Emirates with three points, there will be absolutely no hiding place for Arteta.
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