Arsenal's suddenly precarious position has sparked fears of another collapse by Arteta's men. After finishing second in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons and there is growing belief that they will make it four in a row. Such a turn would surely see calls for Arteta to step down from his role despite the growth they have experienced under the Spanish coach.
Carragher has emphasised that the expectations for the current campaign have fundamentally shifted and that only a major trophy will justify Arteta's tactical evolution.
Writing in hisTelegraphcolumn, Carragher explained why the stakes have never been higher: "For Mikel Arteta, the implications of falling short will be more serious; the validity of his approach hinges entirely on whether he is a Premier League or European champion over the next two months. A triumph will render all criticism up to this point of his reign irrelevant and meaningless. Fall short, and the recovery period will be one of rancour and recrimination."
He added: "Arsenal fans will not like to hear it, but finishing second for the last three years represented success. Finishing second in 2026 will undoubtedly be a failure. This is supposed to be Arsenal’s time, but the final push to win a major trophy is always the toughest. Football is full of examples of teams who suffered a near miss and put on a positive spin about the next season. More often than not, that next step is backwards."