sport news Mikel Arteta's Arsenal can be example of patience to Chelsea and Everton trends now
Arsenal may well be sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League but it's worth remembering they've been right down to the bottom and back up again.
The Gunners propped up the table, with zero points from three games, when they were thrashed 5-0 at Manchester City back in August 2021.
Back then, a season-and-a-half into the Mikel Arteta project and signs of progress were non-existent despite huge investment in new players and plenty of patience.
Arsenal were rock bottom of the Premier League when they lost to Man City in August 2021
Quite a few Gunners' supporters were calling on Mikel Arteta to be given the sack back then
Many Arsenal fans were calling on the club's hierarchy to sack Arteta and let someone else have a go in the wake of damaging early season losses to Brentford, Chelsea and City.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the Kroenke family must be so glad they didn't bow to public pressure.
Despite Premier League finishes of eighth, eighth and fifth, there were just about enough signs of encouragement to give Arteta a passing grade. Winning the FA Cup in his first season helped too.
Now look at them. A first league title since Arsene Wenger's 2003-04 Invincibles is a distinct possibility if Arsenal hold their nerve during the second half of the season.
There's a lesson in the Arsenal example to others who are considering pulling the trigger on under-achieving managers.
Arteta was given time and now Arsenal are flying high with a five-point lead at the top
Arteta was given time and patience and it's paid off for Arsenal as they chase the title
The Gunners have an excellent chance of winning their first Premier League title since 2004
At the top level, it seems any boss is only three or four bad results away from the sack.
Graham Potter is feeling the heat at Chelsea just four months and 18 matches into what he thought was his dream job.
A dismal run of just two wins in nine games seems to only scratch the surface of the problems piling up at Stamford Bridge.
Graham Potter is feeling the heat at Chelsea with fans turning against him
Some supporters have already given up on Potter's project, chanting the name of his predecessor Thomas Tuchel during Sunday's 4-0 FA Cup defeat at Man City.
Owner Todd Boehly has backed Potter after this latest setback, not least in the transfer market where the loan signing of Joao Felix is certainly a statement.
Boehly has been careful to distinguish himself from former owner Roman Abramovich, who may easily have handed Potter his P45 by now.
The vote of confidence in the January window will be welcome but it comes with the imperative that results need to improve - and fast.
Potter was never going to be the kind of manager who came in, shook things up and delivered a trophy within a few months.
Rather like Arteta, it was always going to take time to get everything to his satisfaction, potentially two or three years.
Unfortunately,
