Mikel Arteta has come a long way in his time as Arsenal manager, but he had to navigate a lot of problems in his early years at the club. The 2020-21 season was a tough one for Arsenal as they finished in eighth place, and a particularly bad run almost saw Arteta lose his job.

Mikel Arteta lamented the "impossible task" faced by Arsenal following William Saliba's red card as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth to miss the chance to go top of the Premier League. The defender was dismissed after 30 minutes following a VAR review for hauling down striker Evanilson near the halfway line and denying him a clear run on goal.