London (AFP)

His appointment on the Arsenal bench at the end of 2019 had raised a lot of hope, but Mikel Arteta seems to play big Thursday against Villarreal (9 p.m.) in the semi-final second leg of the Europa League, the last route to Europe next season for the Gunners, beaten 2-1 in the first leg.

Midfielder and captain of the London club in the early 2010s then disciple of Pep Guardiola in Manchester City for his first steps in a technical staff, Arteta (39 years old) was to be the bridge between two eras, two philosophies.

Revive the Rouge et Blanc style of Arsène Wenger, who coached him for 5 seasons, by updating his playing identity with more tactical flexibility and player versatility ... On paper, the idea seemed attractive .

Between the FA Cup victory last year and the overtime at the start of the season for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, things seemed to be finally falling into place.

But after almost a season and a half in office, progress seems almost nonexistent if we compare his statistics with those of his predecessor, Unaï Emery, whom he will find on the bench at Villarreal on Thursday.

- A scapegoat -

"Arteta puts his mark on things. In the way they play, it's easy to tell that he is reconnecting with this Arsenal tradition of playing a seductive game (...) I think it's a good marriage, Arteta-Arsenal and Arsenal-Arteta, "Emery had defended before the first leg.

Currently 9th in the Premier League four days from the end, the Londoners will however have difficulty avoiding their worst ranking since 1994-1995 (12th).

A European qualification via the championship being excluded, only winning the C3 can still open the doors to the Champions League, which Arsenal has not tasted since the 2016-2017 season.

A kind of "hold-up" which could well be the lifeline of Arteta who is said to be threatened to the point that Arsenal leaders have contacted former Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri and drew up a list of 5 possible successors.

With a workforce that has many young nuggets - Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli or the French defender William Saliba, on loan at Nice currently - the temptation to give this novice coach a little more time exists.

But, faced with renewed anger from their fans since the club's involvement in the Super League - a dissident European competition in which Arsenal would have been automatically qualified - the owners would undoubtedly have little scruples to do. 'Arteta a scapegoat to atone for their own sins.

- Their fate in the hands -

They must also deal with the urgent advances of the co-founder of Spotify Daniel Ek, who wants to buy the club of which he has been a supporter since childhood, securing the support of popular sureties such as Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.

True to his habit since being on the front row, Arteta refused to enter the fray.

"I am totally focused on what we have to do: finish the season as strong as possible and try to go to the final, which will be decisive for us," he told Sky Sports.

The first leg, which ended for the Gunners with a promising 2-1 after dropping 2-0 and playing 10 in the last half hour, gives them the chance to have their destiny in their hands.

"Where we want to go will depend on a lot of things: how we end the season, where we finish, what possibilities and prospects we have for next season. All of this will be reflected in what will happen now," he said. -he adds.

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