Sacked former Arsenal boss Unai Emery has opened up on the horror-month that saw his reign in North London unravel, as the Spaniard admits he lost his grip on the team.
Emery was dismissed after a run of seven games without a win, as the Gunners' confidence crumbled and fans grew more and more hostile at the Emirates.
A dreadful 2-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt spelled the end, but the former Sevilla boss said the decline accelerated after a Premier League defeat weeks before.
'The game against Sheffield United was a bit of a turning point,' he said - speaking in Spanish - during an interview on Guillem Balague's YouTube channel.
'In one month everything got broken and we were incapable of winning a game in seven. The tension - which was based on the question we were asking of ‘what’s happening to us’? - was like a rolling ball that was just getting bigger and bigger.
'The coach is the first person to come into the spotlight, I have lived this at other clubs but I have managed to conquer it by getting the team back on track.
'But the truth is that month at Arsenal was terrible.'
The game at Bramall Lane saw Arsenal barely trouble the newly promoted side, looking devoid of ideas as they routinely struggled with the basics of passing out from a goal-kick.
Emery's final win as Gunners boss came in the next game, as Arsenal were forced to scramble into a late fight-back against Portuguese side Vitoria SC at the Emirates.
Then began the seven game streak, which included the dramatic 2-2 draw featuring captain Granit Xhaka's tantrum, a 2-0 defeat to Leicester and finally a 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt at home.
The side looked bare of character by the end, and Emery bereft of ideas on how to solve the crisis.
'I spoke to the players three or four weeks before the process began to tell them things were not going well and I couldn’t see the team I pictured on the field, I couldn’t identify what I was looking for.
'We certainly failed to be a unit that opposition would struggle to get the better of.'