As the new Premier League season began, Arsenal started their campaign in the worst possible fashion succumbing to a 2-0 defeat against newly-promoted Brentford on Friday night.
Goals from winger Sergi Canos and midfielder Christian Norgaard earned the Bees a memorable night after 74-years outside the top-flight.
While it will be a result the home side will never forget, it will be one that their opponents, Arsenal will want to quickly move on from.
Their abject performance, bar a few players, has sparked many comments from fans and pundits.
One supporter called talkSPORT with the following message: “He (Mikel Arteta) needs to pack his bags and go.”
Former West Ham United striker Carlton Cole echoed the supporter’s words.
He said: “This is atrocious, this is not the that Arsenal I grew up watching. I know time moves on but at the same time, Arsenal, losing their first game to Brentford.
“Brentford haven’t been in the top flight for how many years? 70-odd years? It looks like from that showing, it looks like Arsenal are a team with no passion, no drive, no direction.
“I don’t like to say that and I don’t want to batter them and I don’t like to batter managers, Arteta, he just didn’t have any answers.”
Former Spurs player Jamie O’Hara would have undoubtedly enjoyed that result, and he continued the backlash that Arsenal rightly deserves.
O’Hara said: “How can you let a ball from a throw-in bounce in your six-yard box? That is unacceptable, as a defender, as a keeper, communication, has to be better.
“This is Arsenal we are talking about, Arsenal football club who go on about their big, huge football club in the world who wanna get in the top four, winning titles over the years, got beat by Brentford.
“They’re heading for the Championship if they keep playing like that. That was one of the worst performances I have seen.”
Despite the Gunners finishing last season in excellent form, winning their last five matches, they looked far from the team that strung those results together.
Arteta is now under a lot of scrutinies with O’Hara saying former Bournemouth manager, Eddie Howe should replace the Spaniard.
He said: “They have an assistant manager in charge. Eddie Howe (when being asked by Cole who could come in), it’s a young squad, he’s brilliant with young players, why wouldn’t you get him in?
“Least it will give them something fresh, at least it’ll have a manager who has done it in the Premier League.”
If Arsenal thinks they might have a reprieve in their next two matches, they can think again.
They have the small matter facing the Champions League winners Chelsea next weekend followed by a trip to the Premier League champions Manchester City.
Tony Cascarino said the Gunners are ‘highly likely to finish the first three games with zero points.
For a club that was once invincible, they now look defenceless and if Arteta does not turn the club’s fortunes around quickly, he will surely be heading for the exit door sooner or later.
