Mikel Arteta has taken Arsenal through the first four stages of a plan to revive the club’s fortunes. Now, as reigning Premier League champions, the manager faces the most demanding challenge of all: creating a dynasty.
Arsenal are attempting something no Gunners side has achieved since 1935 – retaining the top-flight title. The club’s previous run of three successive league championships ended that year, and even Arsene Wenger’s double-winning team and the unbeaten “Invincibles” could not follow their historic successes with another title the next season.
Arteta regularly uses the prospect of making history to motivate his players before matches. There is little doubt that the ambition of winning back-to-back Premier League titles will be central to Arsenal’s thinking throughout the campaign.
However, retaining the crown is not their only objective. Although Arsenal are now champions of England and have been widely tipped to win the league again, last season showed there is still room for improvement – particularly in attack.
Their defensive displays and set-piece work were outstanding, but greater efficiency in open play could have turned an excellent campaign into a truly exceptional one. The celebrations around Emirates Stadium and elsewhere in the world often overshadowed the disappointment of losing the Champions League final.
Arsenal failed to register a shot on target during the 114 minutes after taking the lead against Paris Saint-Germain. It was a missed opportunity to add another historic achievement and exposed a familiar weakness: while Arteta’s side were extremely difficult to break down, their attacking play could become predictable.
The same issue was evident across the season. Arsenal were not among the Premier League’s top three sides for a number of key attacking statistics in open play. Their figures were not poor, but the area remains an obvious opportunity for growth.
The 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City offered an encouraging early indication of what could change. Arsenal controlled the match, scored all three goals from open play and did not create a single chance from a set-piece situation.
Whether that improvement can be sustained is less certain. Arsenal’s activity in the summer transfer window has raised questions about where additional attacking efficiency will come from, especially in the forward positions.
Morgan Rogers was considered Arsenal’s primary attacking target before Chelsea paid £117m to sign him from Aston Villa. The club then pursued Vinicius Junior, but that move ended when the Brazil forward recommitted to Real Madrid.
Christos Tzolis arrived early in the window as Arsenal’s first outfield signing, although he was brought in as a direct and younger replacement for Leandro Trossard. Otherwise, the club began the season with the same attacking players who finished the previous campaign.
There remains time for Arsenal to make further additions. Their late move for Eberechi Eze last summer demonstrated that a player can arrive towards the end of the window and still make a significant contribution to a title-winning season.
But with Aston Villa and Chelsea included in Arsenal’s difficult opening three fixtures, Arteta’s side will face immediate scrutiny.
The manager has stressed that transfers alone will not solve the problems still facing his squad.
“We will go from strength to strength,” he said during pre-season. “Whether it’s the players we have, to take them to a different level, or with the market that is still open to recruit as well. We’re optimistic about it.”
Arsenal’s existing players may have as much influence on their progress as any new arrivals. Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres and Eze all had good seasons after joining last summer, but none enjoyed a great one.
That was reflected in the Champions League final in Budapest, where none of the four started as Arteta turned to more familiar players he had worked with for longer. If the attacking members of that group improve on their previous campaigns, Arsenal could find another level in the final third.
The challenge involves chance creation as well as goals. Captain Martin Odegaard made only 14 Premier League starts last season, yet still averaged the third-highest chance-creation figure per 90 minutes in the division.
A longer run of matches for Odegaard would almost certainly have increased Arsenal’s attacking output. The Norway international was outstanding in the statement Community Shield win over Manchester City, and a strong start to the season after a solid World Cup could feel almost like a new signing.
“I’m sure this year if we can maintain him fit, available with the players around him, we’re going to see a very different Martin,” said Arteta after the win over City.
“And I sense from the first day that he joined that he has something else in the belly that he wants to prove and show it, because the team needs it as well.”
Arsenal also hope Bruno Guimaraes can add creativity as well as defensive strength. The Brazil international joined from Newcastle as the club’s second-most expensive signing.
Guimaraes is known for his aggressive tackling and will strengthen Arsenal without the ball, but he was also among the Premier League’s top 10 players last season for breaking the opposition’s defensive line with his passing.
Rogers ranked highly in the same category, offering an indication of the type of attacking profile Arteta was seeking during the transfer window.
“He’s a player which obviously has tremendous timing and intuition to win the ball back and progress play very fast,” Arteta said about Guimaraes after he joined.
“He’s a player that is very comfortable putting people through, moving between the lines, moving in behind.
“And then he’s a goal threat. He’s got a smell and a really good timing to get in the box. And he has the capacity to finish the actions.”
Arsenal did not have a player who produced those defence-opening moments as regularly as Guimaraes last season. His partnership with Odegaard could therefore give them a more potent attack than some expect.
Arteta also hinted this week that he wants to see a different Arsenal. When asked about being a “defending” Premier League champion, he corrected the description, saying that he and his players were “attacking” another title.
A more expansive approach may be needed if Arsenal are to retain the trophy. Odegaard, Guimaraes and Tzolis could all play key roles in making them less predictable going forwards.
There is, though, a significant defensive concern that has been obscured by the transfer discussion. William Saliba is expected to miss the early part of the season with a back injury, depriving Arsenal of one of the most important players in their defence.
Saliba is frequently described as a “Rolls Royce” or a “cheat code” because of his pace and his ability to prevent counter-attacks and transitions. No other Arsenal defender has delivered that quality so consistently at the highest level.
Gabriel remains one of the Premier League’s outstanding defensive players, but Jurrien Timber is still building up his fitness and Ben White has an injury history. Even with the imminent arrival of Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa, Arsenal may begin the campaign with a less experienced defence than usual.
That could make it harder for them to depend on defensive superiority in the opening weeks.
Despite those concerns, Arsenal remain the reigning champions and did not lose a single match in 90 minutes during their Champions League campaign last season. They were already a very good team before the summer and have added quality, even if the club has not yet recruited as much as it wanted.
They are also the only member of the so-called “Big Six” not undergoing a managerial or squad-building rebuild. Arsenal begin the season from a higher platform of success, with Arteta and the club presenting the summer as a period of evolution rather than revolution.
The question now changes. Previous seasons were about Arsenal trying to get over the line. As champions, they must show whether they can stay there – and perhaps begin the dynasty their manager first imagined.
