Mikel Arteta has shown his support for Graham Potter amid calls for the Chelsea boss to be sacked.
A dismal run of form has put the pressure on the Blues manager, who was appointed in September but has only won nine of his 26 games in charge.
Recently, Potter cited criticism of Arsenal’s Arteta and Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool early on in their reigns as evidence that managers can turn difficult starts around.
When asked if he has empathy for the 47-year-old on Tuesday, the Gunners boss said he “absolutely” did before opening up on the pressure faced by Premier League managers.
He said: “We are colleagues and we all know the pressure, the demands and the uncertainty that this industry has.
“The fact is the ball has to go into the net and there are many factors that prevent that, that you cannot control so of course you empathise because you suffer and you know how it is when he is going through those moments.
“You can have difficulties in your job and challenges, which we do, especially when you lose, but when you are winning as well because this job is so demanding. But you cannot destroy your life because of that.
“And your family, your friends, your loved ones, the people around you, doesn't deserve to have their lives affected in such a negative way because you don't win a football match.
“So that balance I think in my case was critical, but you need some help, someone to paint that picture in front of you because sometimes when you are in that position it is not easy to see.”
