Arsenal's dismal first full season under Mikel Arteta hit a desperate new low after the Gunners were dumped out of the Europa League by Villarreal at the semi-final stage.
The Gunners were 2-1 down from the first leg in Spain, but despite knowing the need for a goal, Arsenal struggled to put their visitors under any real pressure on Thursday night.
The defeat will hurt that little bit more given former manager Unai Emery sat in the opposition dugout, who tactically outclassed his successor over both legs.
Gunners legend Martin Keown was part of BT Sport's coverage of the tie, and the former Arsenal defender did not hold back on his views surrounding Arteta's management of his younger players.
Keown bemoaned the fact there was too much responsibility placed on young shoulders, as the Arsenal icon explained: "Young players do not pick it up quick enough, that’s why at the very big clubs, the likes of Foden take time to settle.
"So, you’re asking our top players - Smith Rowe, Saka - to come in and play them in an array of different positions and you’re doing it in the biggest games of the season. It didn’t work in these two ties.”
Keown's attentions were quickly diverted to the pressing questions surrounding Arteta's future as Arsenal languish in ninth with little left to play for this season, despite having four games left.
When asked if the Spaniard is facing the sack from his role in the Arsenal hot-seat, Keown said: “That decision needs to be made. He’s a young manager.
"Emery was here himself and was sacked, also maybe he lost the players. It’s not a given you’re going to be successful even with a big reputation.
"But he (Arteta) came with a lot of inexperience, he talked tonight about how his semi-final team was youthful and didn’t have a lot of experience. Well, isn’t that then the reason to keep it simple, to not take big risks?"
Much of the criticism directed towards Arteta is the fact he is well over a year into his Arsenal tenure and appears to have not yet identified his strongest starting eleven.
The Spaniard has consistently tweaked his line-ups after each game, another factor Keown claims has contributed to the club's demise.
Players such as Gabriel Martinelli, Calum Chambers and club record signing Nicolas Pepe have all faced sporadic spells on the side-lines before being re-introduced for some of the biggest games of Arsenal's seasons.
Keown explained: "If you think about last season, they played predominantly with a back five, they did very well to win an FA Cup with that system. There’s been too much chopping and changing this year.
Arsenal now face their first season without European football for 25 years, which will likely drastically impact their finances - on top of the already strained bank balance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
