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Arsenal will look to end their Premier League season on a high today with victory over Watford but, whatever happens, it has been one to forget for the north Londoners.
While they could yet enjoy a successful end to 2019/20 with FA Cup glory, it has been a disastrous league campaign.
Mikel Arteta has a huge job on his hands at Arsenal to turn the club back into title contenders
Mikel Artetas side are tenth going into the final day of the season on Sunday, having won just 13 of their 37 games, and lost 1-0 to relegation-threatened Aston Villa in midweek.
Their last match of 2019/20 is at home to Watford, who slipped into the bottom three thanks to their 4-0 defeat to Manchester City and Villas win.
Arsenal are guaranteed to finish below Tottenham for the fourth consecutive season as the white half of north London continue to outperform their rivals in the Premier League – though neither side will be happy with their campaigns.
And, even if they beat Watford, they cannot finish any higher than eighth. That will result in Arsenal’s lowest top-flight finish since 1994/95, when they finished 12th.
Arsenal haven’t finished this low in the table since 1994/95
Back then, George Graham was sacked mid-season as the club were engulfed by a ‘bungs’ scandal.
Arsene Wengers lowest finishes were fifth and sixth in his final two seasons with the club and they were the only times he ended outside the top four.
Unai Emerys only full campaign with Arsenal, meanwhile, saw the club finish in fifth place.
It would be hardly fair to lay too much blame on Arteta seeing as he only took over from Emery in December and inherited a squad in need of a major overhaul.
Emery was sacked as Arsenal manager in November 2019 after 18 months in charge with the club eighth in the Premier League at the time
Performances have improved significantly under the Spaniard and fans seem excited about the future under him.
However, his record so far in the Premier League makes for grim reading. In his 19 league games in charge so far, Arsenal have taken just 30 points.
That is a worse record than the previous four Arsenal managers at the same point of their careers with the club.
Emery and Graham took 38 points from their first 19 league games in charge, while Wenger and Bruce Rioch collected 33 points.
Arsenal managers after 19 league games

  • Mikel Arteta (2019-20) – 30 points
  • Unai Emery (2018-19) – 38 points
  • Arsene Wenger (1996-97) – 33 points
  • Bruce Rioch (1995-96) – 33 points
  • George Graham (1986-87) – 38 points

It shows the scale of the task facing Arteta at Arsenal as he looks to transform their fortunes.
And the 38-year-old himself admits he has a huge job on his hands to make a success of it.
“Without a question of a doubt,” he replied if the challenge to date has been the biggest of his professional career.
“I can write a book with the last six months but I enjoy it a lot. I have to talk with myself and not with the club or even the fans.
“The pressure I put in myself because I want the best, I know the standards of this club and for me it is very difficult to accept certain things.
“I want to get to know the place better, the players and the staff to help me improve in every area.”