Arsenal title winner Alan Smith says the board must support manager Mikel Arteta.
Smith wrote for the London Evening Standard: "As an inexperienced boss finding life difficult just now, the Spaniard will quickly find out if he's got the backing of his players, particularly senior ones more willing to speak out. Because when results go against, when the going gets tough, footballers start to complain. Nothing new there. That has always happened. But the modern day player holds a lot more sway. They are indeed more powerful as independent entities earning serious money.
"In addition, it's an open secret among football agents that Max Allegri, the Italian coach who enjoyed great success at Juventus, is being recommended as Arsenal's next manager.
"Not by the club I should stress, but by outside forces who want to capitalise on a difficult moment for the young manager. They seem to think Allegri would stand more of a chance, what with his years of experience in Serie A.
"To survive situations like this, Arteta needs unequivocal backing from those above. The management structure, led by chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and possibly including Stanley Kroenke's son Josh, must take decisive steps to publicly support their manager to avoid his authority getting undermined. Those recent words of support from Edu, the technical director, are a start but not enough."
