Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he is relishing the challenge of management despite describing his first year in charge at the Emirates Stadium as one of the most challenging years in the club's history.
The Spanish coach celebrates his one-year anniversary as Arsenal manager on Sunday, a day after their Premier League clash against Everton at Goodison Park.
Arteta said the structural changes over the past 12 months have shaken the foundations of the club, and while he guided the team to FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs, the recent slump has put his position under scrutiny.
"When you get to a club that goes through what we have in a year and on top of that we have a pandemic which is affecting the whole industry ... to do your profession is even more challenging," Arteta said.
"At the same time I'm telling you I love what I do and I feel so lucky and privileged to be at this football club.
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Arsenal v Southampton player ratings
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ARSENAL RATINGS: Bernd Leno - 6. Didn’t look completely assured in the first half but looked much better in the second period. EPA -
Rob Holding - 7. Wasn’t too comfortable for stages of the first half but stood very strong in the second. Was unlucky to see his header hit the woodwork towards the end. Reuters -
Gabriel Magalhaes - 3. The Brazilian looked so clumsy and rash in his defending. Was booked for kicking the ball away, then got a second yellow for pulling Theo Walcott down. Reuters -
Kieran Tierney - 6. The defender’s body positioning was all wrong for Southampton’s opener, but he fought well outside of that moment. Reuters -
Ainsley Maitland-Niles - 7. Was one of the few Arsenal players who looked full of confidence throughout the entire game. EPA -
Mohamed Elneny - 6. Put in a lot of good defensive work and was fairly neat on the ball. Getty -
Dani Ceballos - 6. Some of the Spaniard’s passing was uncharacteristically sloppy, though there were other bright moments. Was booked for dissent. AP -
Bukayo Saka - 8. Took some big hits early on but was the Arsenal player doing the most to create openings, and it was he who opened up the chance for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal. Getty -
Nicolas Pepe - 6. Got into some good positions but didn’t show enough conviction in his play. AP -
Eddie Nketiah - 6. The youngster struggled at times but got the assist for Aubameyang’s equaliser. AP -
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 7. The Arsenal captain finally broke his goalscoring drought, having previously looked quiet during the game. EPA -
SUBSTITUTES: David Luiz (Nketiah 64’) - 5. Was brought on to compensate for Gabriel getting sent off and did what was needed of him. EPA -
Joe Willock (Ceballos 67’) - 6. Was immediately positive after coming on but had to focus more on the defensive side of the game. Getty Cedric Soares (Pepe 84’) – N/A. Came on for the final minutes to help secure a draw against his former club. -
SOUTHAMPTON RATINGS: Alex McCarthy - 6. Didn’t have that much to do but made a good save from his own defender. Getty -
Kyle Walker-Peters - 7. Did plenty of good attacking work and was resolute defensively. AFP -
Jan Bednarek - 5. Was comfortable but seemed to lose his concentration at times. Booked for a poor challenge on Nketiah. AP -
Jannik Vestergaard - 7. The Dane was convincing in a lot of his defensive work and rarely looked fazed. Also showed quality on the ball. Getty -
Ryan Bertrand - 6. Largely got the better of Pepe throughout the game but was booked for a foul on the Ivorian. AP -
Stuart Armstrong - 6. Showed for the ball at all times and was direct when he had it at his feet but struggled to make too much happen. AFP -
James Ward-Prowse - 8. The skipper put in a bustling performance and showed quality with his delivery. Getty -
Oriol Romeu - 6. Had a sense of control for the majority of the game and played some nice passes. AP -
Theo Walcott - 7. Opened the scoring with a delightful dink on his return to the Emirates. Was constantly causing problems during his time on the pitch. AFP -
Danny Ings - 6. Made intelligent runs and showed plenty of intent but couldn’t quite get his break. Booked for a foul on Willock. Getty -
Che Adams - 7. Worked hard for his team and slipped the ball through to assist Walcott’s goal. Getty -
SUBSTITUTES: Nathan Redmond (Walcott 63’) - 6. Came close to scoring twice, hitting the bar and side netting. PA -
Moussa Djenepo (Armstrong 64’) - 5. Showed trickery and created a good chance that Ward-Prowse was unable to take. AP
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"The highlight of the year is the two trophies... It could have been a really positive year but the recent form in the Premier League has taken the gloss off what we have done this year. We have to accept our form has not been good enough."
Arsenal are winless in their last six league games and find themselves 15th in the table with 14 points.
Arteta, however, is confident he still has the full backing of the board.
"You need results but after a big shake up we need to find the stability," Arteta said. "We need time, we all knew that - at least the people who made the decision with me to start this new project - it was going to take time."
