While Mikel Arteta somewhat steadied the ship after replacing Unai Emery in December, the Arsenal boss still has plenty of work on his hands to rejuvenate his squad before the season’s out.
Arsenal had endured a torrid time in the Premier League under Emery but made improvements over time with Arteta at the helm, sitting a lowly ninth in the Premier League before its suspension at the beginning of March.
A fourth successive season without Champions League football awaits the Gunners, who were defeated 3-2 by Brentford in a friendly on Wednesday, unless Arteta works a miracle.
Here, Sportsmail takes a look at the five issues that the Arsenal boss needs to resolve at the Emirates when the Premier League season resumes on June 17…
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is continuing his rebuild at the Emirates following a turbulent season
DEFENSIVE WOES REMAIN
It has been a huge issue for over a decade now at the Emirates and one that seems like it will never go away unless something drastic changes. The Gunners have leaked 36 goals already this season but while the defence appeared to look a little bit more steady under Arteta, the work certainly isn’t done yet.
David Luiz has become more of a leader under the Spaniard but huge question marks continue to loom over him – and that is exactly the same story for the likes of Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Shkodran Mustafi.
Pablo Mari has looked solid in the few matches he has appeared in, while Arteta can look forward to working with highly-rated French teenager William Saliba during the off-season following his arrival from Saint Etienne.
Saliba, who has drawn comparisons to Real Madrid centre back Raphael Varane, is certainly one for the future at the Emirates and Arteta must find a defensive partner to work in sync alongside him.
Arteta simply must resolve Arsenal’s defensive woes, which have haunted them for years
AWAY FORM CONTINUES TO HAUNT GUNNERS
When Arsenal dominated English football alongside Manchester United, their away form was second to none and they seemed to thrive off playing in their opponents’ backyards. However, things couldn’t be any more different right now.
During the 2016-17 Premier League campaign, Arsenal sat sixth in the away form table. In 2017-18, they languished down in 11th and last season they found themselves in eighth.
And things haven’t improved this time round either. They are currently 12th in the away form guide, having picked up just two victories while drawing eight times and losing on three occasions, with a goal difference of -2.
When the going gets tough away from home, Arsenal continue to surrender and while defensive issues are to blame, Arteta must also strengthen his side’s weak mentality.
Arsenal have the 12th worst record in the Premier League away from home this campaign
MIDFIELD NEED TO FIND SOME SPARK
While there have been improvements in the heart of midfield under Arteta, most notably Granit Xhaka’s re-emergence after his career at the Emirates appeared all but over, the lack of spark and creativity continues to hold them back.
Dani Ceballos came back into the fold under Arteta before the coronavirus crisis struck and he certainly has that creativity and drive needed but that’s not enough at present.
Arsenal are overly-reliant on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and this can’t be the case for much longer with the star striker and captain being heavily linked with a move away from the club. The 30-year-old has 17 of the club’s 40 goals in the Premier League this season.
No midfielder at Arsenal has scored more than one Premier League goal this season, while Ceballos and Mesut Ozil have the most assists in the middle of the park with just two to their name. The Gunners are desperately missing the drive and endeavour of Aaron Ramsey…
Arsenal have lacked that spark and creativity in the middle of the pitch so far this term
FINDING NICOLAS PEPE’S BEST FORM
After a slow start to life in north London for the club’s record-signing of £72million, things were certainly starting to gather pace for Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe before the league’s hiatus.
Huge things were expected of the former Lille man but it has certainly taken him time to adapt. While there have always been glimpses of his magic, beating opposition full backs with ease thanks to his trickery and pace, he needs to start showing it on a consistent basis.
As soon as you think he is about to kick on after moments of magic, most notably his brace of free-kicks against Vitoria Guimaraes in the Europa League and his superb strike at West Ham last December, he can’t quite seem to make that next step. It appears to be coming… but when exactly?
He has the most assists for Arsenal in the English top-flight with six to his name, to go alongside his tally of four goals, but the club’s marquee signing needs to start delivering week in, week out. And the three-month break should give him the perfect chance to flourish when the season restarts.
Nicolas Pepe will be desperate to finish the season in style after a slow start to life at Emirates
GETTING BUKAYO SAKA TO COMMIT LONG-TERM
One glimmer of hope for Arsenal supporters this season has been the emergence of their youth talent – with Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka standing out more than any at the Emirates.
The two have emerged as the hottest talents around in Premier League football, but Arsenal are in dangerous territory with clubs already lingering – especially for the services of Saka.
The 18-year-old has earned huge plaudits thanks to his brilliant versatility this season, deputising at left back for a wounded Arsenal – with his superb crossing ability and fearlessness in attack standing out.
Saka has just one year left on his current contract at the Emirates and clubs, such as Liverpool and Bayern Munich, are circling for his signature. But it’s imperative that Arteta builds for the future – and Saka is at the heart of that – so he will be doing everything in his power to keep hold of the young Englishman.
Bukayo Saka has been the jewel in Arsenal’s crown during what has been a horrid campaign