Mikel Arteta has come a long way in his time as Arsenal manager, but he had to navigate a lot of problems in his early years at the club.
The 2020-21 season was a tough one for Arsenal as they finished in eighth place, and a particularly bad run almost saw Arteta lose his job.
Arsenal went seven games without a win between November and December 2020, and they managed just two open-play goals in that time.
The lack of a creative midfielder was killing the team, until the emergence of Emile Smith Rowe and the signing of Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal have since become a side with a lot of goals in them, but they managed just one shot on target in their defeat to Bournemouth, and an old problem resurfaced for Arteta.
Arsenal started a Premier League game without Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard vs Bournemouth
Arsenal were handed a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth, and they registered just one shot on target.
Heading into the game, Arteta had several injury issues to deal with, and he was without both Bukayo Saka and Odegaard as creative influences.
Remarkably, the last time Arsenal started a Premier League game without both players was in February 2021, shortly after Odegaard joined, as Arteta recorded a 3-1 win away at Leicester.
Arsenal struggled to create without their two-star players, and Arteta will hope that one of them returns soon.
Mikel Arteta needs to find creative solution beyond Bukayo Saka
Saka has led the way for assists this season, but he picked up an injury during the international break which he is yet to recover from.
Odegaard is set to be absent for a little while longer, and it is clear that the team cannot creatively function without both players.
Arteta now needs to find a way to get Arsenal to create without the pair, even if this is a difficult task, so that there is less reliance on them to deliver.
Ethan Nwaneri could be a solution, with fans fuming that the teenager did not start against Bournemouth.
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