Arsenal 2020 review: Mikel Arteta's topsy-turvy first year, FA Cup win and the Ozil issue

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal have had quite a topsy-turvy 2020 despite their FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs. This term the Gunners have endured their worst start to a Premier League season in 46 years under the Spanish boss, who has come under immense scrutiny of late. Another significant talking point has been the omission of World Cup winner Mesut Ozil, who has been excluded from Arsenal's Premier League and Europa League squads. 

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Arsenal 2020 review: Mikel Arteta's rocky start followed by success and horror

It was on December 20, 2019, when Mikel Arteta was appointed as Arsenal manager. He replaced another Spaniard in Unai Emery, who got the sack in November, after a series of poor results and a winless run of seven games. Arteta got his first win as Arsenal boss against Manchester United on January 1, 2020, following a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth and a 2-1 defeat against Chelsea. 

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Arsenal ended up finishing the season in eighth place, behind clubs like Wolves and Leicester City as well as an under-performing Spurs. However, the Gunners came into the 2020/21 season on a high following their triumph in the FA Cup and the wi over Premier League Champions Liverpool in the Community Shield. 

In July, Arsenal beat Arteta's former employers Manchester City 2-0 in the FA Cup semi-final, leading Arsenal to their fourth FA Cup Final in seven years, Arteta's first as a manager. Arsenal went on to win the final 2-1 over Chelsea and claimed their record 14th FA Cup. 

The FA Cup success meant that Arsenal would play Liverpool in the Community Shield prior to the start of the new season. Arsenal were the underdogs but managed to pull off another impressive win against a high-profile opponent, albeit on penalties. 

It appeared as if Arteta was just managing to get things under control at Arsenal by injecting an identity into the club and adding to their trophy cabinet. However, everything seemed to unravel despite the North London club winning their first two games of the new season, unconvincingly.

Arsenal then suffered defeat against Liverpool before recording a 3-1 win over Sheffield United. Defeats against Man City and Leicester City followed, but then came a 1-0 victory over rivals Man United. However, it took Arsenal nearly two months to register their next victory in the league, which incidentally came on Saturday - a 3-1 win over Chelsea. 

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During that time, Arsenal suffered shambolic losses against Aston Villa, Wolves, Tottenham, Burnley and Everton. The defeat against Burnley meant that Arsenal had gotten off to their worst start to a season in 46 years after twelve games played. The Gunners are currently in 15th place on the Premier League table, with 17 points, six points off the relegation zone. 

They also crashed out of the EFL Cup following a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Man City earlier this month. However, Arsenal progressed to the Europa League Round of 32 in style, with six wins from six games in Group B. Pressure on Arteta has been building over the past few months but the Arsenal board are reportedly set to back the 38-year-old in the January transfer window.

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Mesut Ozil issue: Star playmaker fails to make Arsenal squad

In October, it was revealed that Mesut Ozil was not included in Arsenal’s 25-man Premier League squad. The World Cup winner, who is on a £350,000-a-week deal, was also left out of the squad for the Europa League. Several fans and pundits have slammed Arteta's decision to keep Ozil frozen out as the team have lacked creativity in the attacking third. 

Ozil's contract is due to expire at the end of the season and the Gunners now risk losing him on a free transfer. The 32-year-old still claims that he has a lot to offer and plans to work hard in a bid to enter the manager's plans for the second part of the campaign. 

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