Mikel Arteta has brought Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League after many years of waiting. Now, the challenge for the Spanish coach is no longer to help the team regain its position, but to maintain it in an increasingly fierce race.
When Arteta signed a new contract with Arsenal in September 2024, this team was still on the journey to find major titles. 2 years later, he completed his most important goal when he helped Arsenal win the Premier League, ending 22 years of waiting for this title.
Arteta took over Arsenal in 2019, when the "Gunners" ranked 10th in the Premier League and declined in many aspects. Under his leadership, Arsenal gradually returned to the group of top European teams. That achievement was built over many seasons, instead of appearing after a quick change.
The Premier League title also puts Arteta in the group of coaches who have been crowned in the league. But the next goal is even more difficult: to help Arsenal successfully defend the throne.
In Premier League history, not many teams have won consecutive championships. Arsenal has also not done this since the 1930s. Arteta himself understands the pressure ahead when Arsenal enters the season as the defending champion.
Arteta's new contract will be of great significance to Arsenal. The stability on the coaching bench helps them continue to follow the direction built over the years. With a team that owns many players aged 24-28, Arsenal has a foundation to maintain competitiveness in the following seasons.
However, the championship does not mean that The Gunners have completed. The 0-3 defeat to Brighton shows that Arsenal still has problems to solve. Arsenal is famous for their defense and solidity, but this time they faced many difficulties under the opponent's pressure.
Arteta also admitted that this is an important lesson in the journey to defend the championship. Arsenal can hardly defend the throne if the standards that once helped them succeed are lowered.
The attack is still the position Arsenal needs to continue to upgrade. Last season, consecutive injuries of attacking players made Arteta have to rely more on defensive ability and set pieces. When Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka returned together, Arsenal had more options to improve their attacking ability.
The numbers at the beginning of the season also partly reflect the change. Arsenal controlled the ball more, passed the ball more in the attacking area and performed almost double the number of combinations with at least 10 passes, leading to shots or situations in the penalty area.
The match against Brighton shows that they may still have difficulty when being pressed, but that is only part of the picture at the beginning of the season. Arsenal still has a long way to go to prove that last season's championship was not the final destination.
Arteta spent many years building Arsenal into a team capable of competing for titles. Now, a more difficult task awaits him: maintaining his position for a long time.
