Real Sociedad defender Nacho Monreal has backed his former Arsenal team-mate Mikel Arteta to turn things around despite the club's worst start in 46 years.
Before their 3-1 win against Chelsea on Boxing Day, Arsenal had not won in seven league games or won a domestic match since November 1.
The Gunners have won their last two matches against Brighton and Chelsea respectively to move clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
And left-back Monreal, who played with Arteta at the Emirates from 2013-2016, believes his compatriot can fix the club's issues.
He told Mundo Deportivo: 'I follow Arsenal quite a lot. It's been a rather difficult season.
'On the face of it, it looked pretty good, the way they finished last year, winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield.
'It's true that this year they started off winning, but then they string together a lot of bad games and results. They have been in 15th, suffering a lot, with many doubts.
'The club has a lot of confidence in Mikel, and I see him prepared to solve this and give a personal touch to the team. The victory against Chelsea will give them air and confidence.'
Arsenal currently lie in 13th and have opened up a nine-point gap between themselves and 18th-placed Fulham.
However, Arteta's side are still as close to the relegation zone as they are to the Champions League places.
They travel to struggling West Bromwich Albion in their first game of 2021 on Saturday evening.
The Baggies are still winless after the first three games of Sam Allardyce's tenure.