The Germany playmaker was fully dialled in as the Gunners bossed the opening half hour, and despite the eventual loss new Arsenal boss Arteta admitted that must now be Ozil’s baseline standard.

Arteta has warned Ozil there will be no guarantees over selection at the north London club during his tenure, leaving the 31-year-old star in no doubts about the hard work ahead.

Arteta said: “Mesut was very effective against Chelsea. I’m hoping he can sustain that level every three or four days.

“His numbers physically have improved so much. And he’s willing, that’s what I can tell you. He’s been showing it in training. The structure has to help him to be able to take everything he has inside.

“I just tried to prepare the team collectively and individually with the strengths and weaknesses that we have, to promote our strengths and avoid our weaknesses.

“On his own he cannot do it, he needs the collective and the structure around him and his team-mates.

“There’s only one or two players in the world who can do it on their own. He needs help.

If I see every day this attitude and desire and understanding of what we’re trying to do, and if he’s in a better moment than everybody else, I will pick him. But if it changes, then he won’t play.

Bernd Leno’s goalkeeping howler gifted Chelsea a late equaliser after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s early goal had put Arsenal in control.

Tammy Abraham capped a fine counter-attack to seal Chelsea’s win, to stun their hosts and deny new bossArteta a dream home debut at the Arsenal helm.

The Gunners host Manchester United tonight, with Arteta conceding he must battle to repair his squad’s brittle confidence.

“That’s my worry now, that the result doesn’t affect them too much,” said Arteta.

“We’re all disappointed how the game ended, they don’t feel they deserved that.

“But they have to move on, a game in another three days, a big one as well and they have to respond now in a new challenge.”

For his part, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping a new decade will bring better fortunes for United after a difficult spell in the club’s illustrious history.

The rise of derby rivals Manchester City in particular has added significantly to the Old Trafford club’s difficulties in retaining their pre-eminence both at home and in Europe over the last 10 years as they have wrestled with the challenge of finding a suitable long-term successor for all-conquering manager Alex Ferguson.

The last of United’s Premier League titles came at the end of the 2012-13 season and while two League Cup successes, an FA Cup win and a triumphant Europa League campaign have kept the trophy tally ticking over, current boss Solskjaer will be glad to see the back of the 2010s.

He said: “I’m going to make 2020 a good year for myself. I think we’re on the right track.

“We are in a transition period. We’ve seen other clubs do it and come out strong after a couple of years and we will consign this decade, definitely. That’s just in the nature of this club.”

If Solskjaer is eagerly anticipating the new year, the old one at least finished in positive fashion with impressive wins over Newcastle and Burnley which cemented the club in fifth place in the table, four points adrift of Chelsea in fourth, although a staggering 24 behind runaway leaders Liverpool.

They head to Arsenal brimming with confidence as a result, although still a work in progress as they attempt to find a style which best utilises the weapons at their disposal, particularly against teams which attempt to sit in and frustrate.

Solskjaer said: “It’s hard to compare, but we have to learn that way of playing football.

“I’ve said we’re not a Manchester City, we can’t play, out-play and out-football teams like they do yet, but hopefully in a few years we can. It’s not going to be overnight.”

United scored six goals in their two festive fixtures with Anthony Martial claiming three of them, Marcus Rashford two and teenager Mason Greenwood the other, their form in front of goal belatedly mitigating the summer sale of big-name striker Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan.

Solskjaer has hinted that another front man may well be a focus during the January transfer window, but the emergence of 18-year-old Greenwood has come as a huge bonus.

He said: “We always believed Anthony and Marcus were going to score goals, but Mason has filled a big void.

“He’s chipped in with goals, so I’m not worried about goals from centre-forwards. Mason’s on eight now, Marcus, I don’t know, 14 or 15?Anthony has quite a few.

“Romelu’s a good striker and he’ll always score goals, but it was time for him to move on.

“We didn’t find the right one outside our club, but we had Mason.”

Pogba could figure for United

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is expected to be available to face Arsenal tonight after sitting out Saturday’s Premier League win at Burnley.

The France international did not make the squad for the game at Turf Moor after being used as a sub against both Watford and Newcastle following his return from a long-standing ankle injury but is expected to be back in contention at the Emirates Stadium.

Fellow midfielder Scott McTominay will be missing once again with a knee problem which will sideline him for several weeks.

Calum Chambers is a doubt for Arsenal having suffered a nastylooking knee injury in Sunday’s 2-1 home loss to Chelsea.

Granit Xhaka could come back into the reckoning after overcoming illness.