There has been “definite improvement” at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, says Ian Wright, with the Gunners heading in the right direction despite taking only one point from two games.

Having turned to a familiar face for inspiration, fans at Emirates Stadium were hoping for a new manager boost in north London.

Arch-rivals Tottenham enjoyed one after replacing Mauricio Pochettino with Jose Mourinho, but Arteta is yet to dig Arsenal out of the rut Unai Emery created and Freddie Ljungberg failed to fill in.

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A 1-1 draw away at Bournemouth on Boxing Day has been followed by a 2-1 derby defeat to Chelsea, with the Gunners taking only one win from their last 15 games in all competitions.

They are now stuck in the bottom half of the Premier League, having slumped to 12th place, with Arteta facing up to a major rebuilding project in his first managerial post.

Club legend Wright has, however, seen signs of encouragement and believes positives can be taken from a setback against Chelsea which came about due to individual errors.

The former Gunners striker told Match of the Day: “When you look at the two games there’s definite improvement in Arsenal.

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“You just think what they could have done had they gone with the appointment after the Leicester game at the international break. 

“It’s one and two touch all the way and it’s really quick. Fantastic zip, the fans should be happy with what they’re seeing at the moment but give Chelsea credit for what they’ve done.”

Late goals from Jorginho and Tammy Abraham condemned Arsenal to defeat against the Blues, with Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang’s opener counting for nothing.

Martin Keown is another who feels the Gunners looked markedly improved for long periods against Chelsea, with patience required as Arteta endeavours to get his message across.

The ex-defender said: “Very compact. Very solid. I like the shape.

“They’ve had three different managers by the way. Different ideas, different voices. 

“It’s the front players, when they go to engage I think they do that really well. Everyone is engaging really very well. 

“Chelsea, with their system of three at the back, seem confused and Arsenal were really well organised hunting in packs. Everyone attuned to the system. I thought they did it really well.”

Arsenal are set to open 2020 on Wednesday when they take in a home date with old adversaries Manchester United.