When everything is going against you it's easy to single out individuals rather than the entire team, but in the case of Willian it appears that Arsenal have been hamstrung with a player who isn't offering anything near what is expected of him.
In the first half against Everton, the former Chelsea midfielder had 14 touches in the first half - fewer than any other player on the pitch and level with Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
The opening goal which saw Rob Holding turn the ball into his own net prompted Willian to receive the brunt of criticism from fans and pundits as he nonchalantly jogged bag to defend as Alex Iwobi crossed into the box.
"Sprint back please, sprint back. You've got a job to do defensively, Willian," said Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness as he described the lack of application from Arsenal's free transfer summer arrival.
Assessing Willian's time at Arsenal so far requires some reading between the lines. Starting from his unauthorised trip to Dubai last month which saw the Brazilian rewarded with a start against Leeds just days later.
Willian was pictured on Instagram at the Nusr-Et steakhouse with celebrity owner Nusret Gokce, more commonly known as Salt Base. The trip was put down to 'business reasons' by those close to him but coronavirus restrictions in England did not permit international travel unless it was for work or education.
Arteta's persistence to field a player who has had just one shot on target in his last 11 Premier League appearances for Arsenal provokes more questions than answers.
“Willian has come to Arsenal and it looks like he’s taken a holiday!," Arsenal legend Martin Keown told talkSPORT.
“Honestly, I think I could stand out on the wing and do what he does. If you rolled me the ball and I just passed it back, I’m not affecting the game!
Arteta is doing everything he can to get Arsenal back to winning ways, but fielding Willian doesn't work and it hasn't worked all season. He has the most assists for the Gunners starting from the opening day of the season against Fulham and the recent cross for Gabriel which his compatriot scored, but his lackadaisical style, inability to create problems in the final third and inconsistency for a player of 32 years old cannot be forgiven when there are others doing so much more.
What are the alternate options for Arsenal? They have two youngsters waiting in the wings in Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson whose application on and off the training pitch must put them in contention to start ahead of Willian.
Smith Rowe in particular has been named in the last two matchday squads and impressed in the Europa League group stage, offering a unique skillset and creative brain that has been missing from Arsenal's attack for several months.
Similarly, Nelson's direct attacking threat and ability to dribble past opponents makes him an exciting prospect and one which deserves more game time than he's currently getting.
There are a multitude of issues that Arteta faces right now. From the lack of cohesion in attack, the inability to keep a clean sheet and struggle to score goals. However, persisting with a player who offers minimal impact when the expectations should be somewhat higher are only making his job more difficult as each game comes.
