Arsenal are genuinely at risk of plummeting out of the Premier League.

While that might sound like reactionary hyperbole at first, consider for a moment that only Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion have lost more leagues game this season than the Gunners.

Memories of the FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs of the summer feel distant with every Premier League blow that comes Mikel Arteta's way as his integrity is called into question.

Arsenal's 2020/21 woes

You'd like to think that the Gunners would make serious changes to the setup if there was any real threat of relegation, but in the meantime, we can't give the club any preferential treatment.

Besides, we haven't seen the north London club win in the Premier League since the October triumph at Old Trafford, while you have to go back to the 4th of that month for a home victory.

It's no wonder, therefore, that pundits ranging from Alan Shearer to Peter Crouch are refusing to rule out the seemingly-bonkers scenario of Arsenal freefalling down to the Championship.

Arsenal's long-standing problems

And according to Football.London, former Arsenal man Armand Traore minced his words less than most, telling Sky Sports: "The Arsenal players that have been put out there are not good enough.

"They are in relegation form and at the end of the day, (if that continues) they are going to go down. That's a scary thought but football doesn't owe anything to anyone.

"If you are not good enough out there on the pitch, you will get a lot of defeats."

It's astonishing that it's come to this, but there are plenty of fans who think the rot in the Arsenal foundations can be traced back into Unai Emery's tenure and even Arsene Wenger's final years.

Graph of Arsenal's decline

In fact, few things have underlined Arsenal's dramatic decline better than a graph that went viral across Reddit at the weekend, tracking certain club statistics since the iconic 'Invincibles' season.

For one, it highlights how Arsenal have gradually slumped in the decade and a half since, but also points out the extent to which the Gunners' form has fallen off a cliff during the 2020/21 campaign.

Check out the graph down below to see exactly why so many fans have been sharing its alarming outline of Arsenal's recent history:

What a damning indictment of the runaway train that Arsenal are hurtling on right now.

A worrying trajectory

You can see a steady decline in points per game and goals scored as the Wenger era began to lose momentum, but things really take a plunge by the time Emery starts coming under fire.

It's borderline horrendous to see Arsenal nosedive from an average of around 1.6 goals per game to miles below the one marker, while the points-oriented blue line comes crashing down in tandem. 

And give or take the anomaly of the 2011/12 season, complete with an 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford, Arsenal's defensive woes are seen swelling into a sustained wave as the defeats come rolling in.

So, shrug off the relegation comments as much as you like, but unless something changes quickly at Emirates Stadium, you can't get away from the fact that Arsenal are showing bottom-three form.