Mikel Arteta has rebuilt Arsenal into a team which is now challenging Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
When Arteta returned to the club he once captained in 2019, Arsenal were languishing in mid-table, and it took some time for his process to reap rewards as he faced heavy pressure in his second season.
The Spaniard then turned Arsenal’s form around and helped build a top-quality and youthful Gunners squad alongside Edu Gaspar.
Arsenal have challenged for the Premier League title in back-to-back seasons under Arteta, and took Man City to the final day of the campaign last season, but fell just two points short of Pep Guardiola’s side.
Arteta won the FA Cup in his first season, with heroics from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang helping Arsenal triumph over Chelsea, but no major silverware has followed since, and given the quality of his side, many are expecting a trophy to arrive at the Emirates in the coming seasons.
Gary Neville recently mocked Arsenal fans for their lack of silverware despite the team’s outstanding performances in the last two years, and if this season proves fruitless in this regard again, some may begin to question Arteta’s future.
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Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker highlight Arsenal trophy drought under Mikel Arteta
Four years on from the FA Cup triumph, former England strikers Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker highlighted the problem Arteta faces if Arsenal do not lift any trophies soon.
“It depends, if they don’t win anything then you look at the bigger picture and how close they’ve come and how good their football is and their injury situation,” Shearer told The Rest Is Football Podcast when asked about Arsenal’s title expectations this season.
“You have to look at all those things. But eventually, he’s going to have to win something, whether that is this season or not. But that has to come at some stage doesn’t it.”
Lineker then pointed out the strength of the Man City side Arsenal are up against in the title race, and how difficult it will be for Arteta to steal Guardiola’s crown.
“We all recognise how formidable Manchester City are, there’s no doubt about that, which makes it very difficult for Arsenal,” Lineker responded.
“But at some point he’ll need to win something and take that extra step, but their progress has been really good. I doubt he’ll be under pressure unless they completely slide away this season.”
Arsenal trophy chances this season have to be viewed in context
Arsenal are going up against a tough Man City side who are aiming to win their fifth title in a row, and even if they have closed the gap in quality, City’s experience in title races still gives them an edge.
Arteta’s team are competing in four competitions this season, but any squad would struggle to compete for all four trophies at the same time.
When Liverpool attempted to in 2022, they succeeded in the domestic cups but fell just short in the title race, and ran out of steam as they lost the Champions League final.
Arsenal have performed poorly in the domestic cups in the last two seasons, but the lack of depth meant that given their title ambitions, they had to make the sacrifice.
If Arsenal finish marginally behind Man City again and go far in the Champions League, but still end up trophyless, many may question why they could not win one of the domestic cups.
However, there may simply not be enough depth to cope with the extra games that come with a successful FA Cup or Carabao Cup run.
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