For a large part of the 22/23 season, it looked like Arsenal could, seemingly from nowhere, overthrow Manchester City’s dominance and win their first league title in nearly twenty years. Alas, it didn’t quite work out that way for Arteta and his team. In the end, they ran out of gas and gave a window of opportunity for Manchester City to storm ahead, an opportunity that they duly took.
Still, on balance, Arteta can view the last campaign as successful. No one expected them to push for the title, and in any case, there’s no shame in finishing second in the Premier League. The question now is, how will they perform in this coming season?
Havertz and Rice Are On Board
Arsenal arguably lost momentum in the title race for one simple reason: they lacked squad depth. It was more or less the same team playing every week, and eventually, that took a toll. Arteta clearly understood the need to bolster the squad, and that’s just what he’s done. Kai Havertz and Declan Rice have both made the move across from Chelsea and West Ham, respectively and will be sure to add some much-needed steel and quality to the team. With no major player departures expected this summer, Arsenal will be in a stronger position than they were last season, providing both Havertz and Rice can hit the ground running.
Another Season of Progress
Still, even though Arsenal should be better next season than they were last season, that doesn’t mean that they’ll be shoe-ins for the title. Far from it. Arsenal are very much on the right path towards where they want to be, but they’re far from the final product. You can expect another season of development under Arteta, one where they strengthen their strong points and eliminate their weak points.
Rivals on the Rise
It’s possible that Arsenal outperformed expectations last season. They also benefited from underwhelming seasons from their main rivals, most notably Liverpool and Chelsea. A slight shift in performance levels from Arsenal or the other challengers for the top spots could lead to a much different Premier League landscape. Fans that keep up with online sports betting odds will know that Arsenal are second-favourites for the title behind Manchester City, but Liverpool and Manchester United aren’t far behind them, in third and fourth positions, respectively. There’s little chance that Liverpool, in particular, will be anywhere near as poor as they were last year, which means Arsenal will have to be firing on all cylinders if they’re going to preserve their position towards the top of the table.
Where Arsenal Can Improve
So why didn’t Arsenal win the league last time around? You can say that they were simply tired come the end of the campaign, but there was also an element of mental weakness that came into play, too. They lost more games towards the end of the season than they should have, and everyone knows that you don’t win trophies if you falter at the time that matters most.
This isn’t necessarily a criticism of Arsenal. It just shows where they are at the moment. Liverpool had the same obstacle to overcome before they finally won the Premier League title. Ex-players often talk about the mental strength required to dig deep and grind out victories at key moments of the season. Arsenal don’t quite have that yet. But you can be sure that Arteta, a serial winner who was at Manchester City when they began their period of dominance, will know just what it takes to make his players believe. And if he can succeed, then it could well be a great year for Arsenal.