If they win against the Reds, they can move into the top four.
Trust the process.
During Mikel Arteta's time as boss, the phrase has been a constant.
This was a club with a plan to lead a lost club back onto a path to glory, and it was founded by a respected former player.
It became a stick for disgruntled supporters to beat the Spaniard when they lost three straight.
Arteta's team are currently fifth in the table with a young, largely new squad that is starting to knit together after eight league games.
Is the plan finally starting to come together, and has that oft-used phrase regained some of its legitimacy?
The knives are out.
Arteta spoke about his philosophy in his first interview.
He called for passion, dominance, aggression and playing in the opponents' territory. There were non-negotiables off it. He talked about trust.
After three matches of the season, it was a challenge for many to keep their faith.
At the bottom of the table, the Gunners were thrashed by Manchester City and brushed aside by Chelsea, leaving them without a point or goal to their name.
It was the first time since 1954 that they had lost their first three league matches, and each one showcased familiar flaws - an absence of a clear, coherent and effective tactical plan, costly errors, a soft underbelly and too little fight. The summer transfer outlay was reported to be upwards of £150m.
It followed a season that had begun well in the wake of the FA Cup win, but quickly went south, to such an extent that West Brom boss Sam Allardyce suggested the Gunners were among his team's relegation rivals.
They missed out on European football for the first time in 25 years, despite finishing eighth, because they didn't win enough games.
Out went some of the faltering old guard, including Willian, David Luiz, and Lucas Torreira, and in came six young, mouldable talents. Arteta's tenure was the most revolutionary yet.
The end of August saw knives pointed in the manager's direction, and any quiet optimism from fans was quickly blown out of the water.
On the up...
Arteta has won 54 of his 100 matches. George Graham has a better record with the club.
The vision remained singular and focused while the noise outside the club was loud.
There was no panic or wavering of belief in the man they appointed to replace Unai Emery. After the loss at City, one quietly continued with his plan, enjoying the best 10 days of his professional career in the international break.
Context was important for what had happened before.
The best part of 22 years was spent with Emery's predecessor, Wenger.
The early results were rationalised because of the injury and illness that affected key players in the build-up to the game, and the fact that they would face a side that had just been promoted.
Key players were brought into the side. Since then, results have been vindicating.
Home games against opponents are bold.
Result.
The city of Norwich.
W 1-0.
It's called Burnley.
W 1-0.
They call it Spurs.
W 3-1.
The city of Brighton.
D 0
The Crystal Palace.
D 2-2.
The name of the company is Aston Villa.
W 3-1.
It's Leicester.
W 2-0.
It's the city ofWatford.
W 1-0.
The run has lacked consistent performances but has shown a consistent purpose in line with Arteta's philosophy.
The statistics speak for themselves.
Total.
The rank is PL.
Winnings.
6
Goals.
13
3rd
There are shots.
125
4th
There are shots on target.
45
3rd
Chances were created.
89
5th
Clean sheets.
5
The goals were conceded.
4
2nd
There were shots on target.
29
5th
They have moved into the top half of the division for possession and passes made in games. They've attempted more passes in the opposition half than they have in their own.
They're fourth in the division for passes into the final third and fifth for touches in the opposition box.
They have made seven potentially costly errors since the beginning of September, which is second highest in the league.
The 2-2 home draw with Palace was their least convincing, cohesive performance of the run, and mistakes are to be expected from a side so young.
Since September, it appears that the team has only clicked into form, but they have been very competitive for a long time.
In a table from Boxing Day onwards, the Gunners are third on points, just a point behind both Manchester United and Liverpool, and just a point worse off than the Blues.
Consistency was always going to be one of the biggest challenges for a young squad that has seen a change of 19 players in the last two seasons.
17 players started one of the three defeats that began the season, but just 16 were used in the eight games since. Ramsdale, Gabriel, Takehiro Tomiyasu and White are three of the back four.
Two of the club's academy products, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, have continued to develop. They are the poster boys for the league's youngest squad with an average age of 24.1 years.
Smith Rowe has four goals and two assists in his last six games and has been included in the most recent England squad. The 21-year-old capped his full debut with a goal and assist in the World Cup qualifying win against San Marino.
Arteta wanted unity at the club and it all adds to that.
The club has put pictures of past players and managers on the walls inside the stadium. There is an area for fans to write letters of support to Saka, who was racially abused after England's defeat in the Euro 2020 final.
Fans can write letters of support on the wall at the Emirates.
Significant challenges await...
Arteta has maintained his equilibrium throughout the season. He wants to make sure this newfound energy doesn't become a habit.
Arteta said after the 2-0 win that they hadn't done anything. We want to improve after we won a couple of matches. There are a lot of positives but there are a lot of things that need to be improved.
The first three results of this campaign must be placed in context.
Their opponents since the start of September were a step down from the quality of their previous opponents, they were second best for periods against Palace and Brighton, and the man of the match in the win atLeicester was goalkeeper Ramsdale.
Bigger tests are on the way. After dropping points at home in a draw with Brighton and then at West Ham, the Reds will be looking to get back to their best against the team that they beat in the League Cup.
Since September 2012 the Gunners have not won at the Reds and have lost on their last five visits by an aggregate score of 18-4.
We will know a lot more about how far Arteta's team have come before Christmas when they travel to Manchester United and host West Ham. They can approach these games with optimism.
The process is far from complete, but they have been given a reason to trust it again.
