Mikel Arteta says Arsenal have laid great foundations for the future but he won’t accept any complacency from his players when they return from their summer break.
While the Gunners had to make peace with a second-place finish following a record-breaking start to the campaign, the progress made on the pitch has been clear for all to see.
The challenge for the manager is ensuring his players continue on an upwards trajectory that matches the growing expectations of a rejuvenated fanbase.
After his side’s final game of the season – an impressive 5-0 dismantling of Wolves – the manager set the tone for next year.
“I think we have some great foundations, that is true, but in sport you have to prove it again,” he said.
“You have to be back first day in pre-season, look at each other and I don’t want to see any complacency, we’re going to have to be much better and it’s going to be a challenging season but a season with plenty of opportunities and one of those opportunities is to be consistent and do it again and do it better, and this is what we have to demand to each other.”
It’s expected that Arsenal will be very active in the transfer market this summer as they look to upgrade areas of the squad with players who can help close the gap on champions Manchester City.
Arteta also says it’s key that he finds a way to get even more from those already on the books.
“I’m really interested in understanding, reflecting on and analysing what we have in the house, the resources we have already and how we can improve, how we maximise and take players to a different level, the ones that we haven’t got everything from, do it and the bonus will be make those decisions and improve the team.
“We don’t want to lose that cohesion that exists around the team and that understanding, hopefully we will make the right decision.”
He added: “I need to get away and spend a few days with my family, bring the emotions and everything down. And reflect, think and I need to visualise.
“And I need to feel it, what is going to be the best way with how we are going to get this group of players to a different level.”
we’ve got super mik arteta!
The new Premier League fixture list is out in 17 days.
Obviously we play everyone home and away but the relatively kind opening fixtures we had this season – taking full advantage with 5 straight wins – really set the tone for the campaign.
I hope we play the rest of the top 6 in the first 5 weeks and walk away with 5 wins. That’ll set the tone
I can’t wait for next season! Seven months of great football then a choke and collapse over the final quarter of the season!
It’s going to be great!
I was going to grumble about what a negative comment that was. But 7 months of great football is a very positive take.
This is not a Borussia Dortmund blog.
Dortmund failed in a SINGLE game just like one of Man City and Inter will lose the CL final. We can also see that Bayern won their game when they must.
I was being slightly facetious but they also bottled a 1-0 lead to get knocked out of the Champions League to the team that finished 12th in the Premier League.
What Dortmund did was Arteta-Arsenalesque: That was the equivalent of us needing to only beat Crystal Palace at home to win the title and blowing it.
I hope we are as consistent on the pitch next season as your negativity on this blog, Fats! We would win the league with games to go.
Yeah we’d wrap up the league in march!!!
Why do you even ‘support’ us?
He’s just a troll who happens to support us, I wouldn’t waste the energy.
He’s just sad because he’s fat.
He’s not fat, he’s Fats!
Apart from Blueberry Hill, he doesn’t get a thrill from anything.
Except being negative and thick. He fucking loves it.
How many months of 100 point pace football did you expect at the start of the season?
We got 7 months when most never expected even 7 weeks!
This team has shown it can produce that quality, now we need a squad that can do it over the course of a whole season.
We have to prove it again and again…
He’s right. Everything achieved this season in the EPL means zero for next year. We have to prove it again and this time keep the pedal down when the pressure ramps up. Great to be back in the CL. Now it’s time to take it to the next level and bring home a trophy. It’s a big summer…
If we get eliminated in CL right after the group stage, our fans will pretend that this will help us in the league. To them, I say listen to the manager. He said “No complacency” ffs.
For a fan to express some hope, following the elimination from a cup, that more recovery between matches might strengthen our focus on and chances in other competitions, is not to pretend anything.
I also believe Arteta is talking about how he doesn’t want the players to show any complacency. I can assure you that we will never hear an Arsenal player say “this will help us in the league” when we get knocked out of a cup, at least not while Arteta is coach. I don’t understand why you have such an issue if a supporter makes that statement.
He is speaking to the club and players, not the fans. Fans, though integral to the club and players, are not players. That is true even if social media and a culture of fanaticism makes people feel like they are or should be a part of the daily club direction. If you were referring to fan complacency ie supporting or cheering on the club and players no matter what…cheers and I am sure many of us agree! If you were referring to fan complacency in some misguided belief that any fan or fans should be dictating, coaching or berating the… Read more »
Got downvoted profusely for saying that CL and FA Cup involvement would not cause fatigue to Man City players but would make them sharper instead. Weren’t fans who are saying after we collapsed: “look at Man City, they have wordclass players on the bench” supposed to make their initial judgment based on that? Now, you will never see a post where I attack a player personally. I defended Xhaka 2 or 3 years ago, think that Holding did a decent job when he replaced Saliba and unlike the majority of fans, believe that the Kroenke have turned into pretty good… Read more »
You get downvoted because you’re a moaning git.
We need to sign players with winning mentality.
Your right, how about Zinchenco Jesus and Jorginho to start us off. 😜
Let’s not waste money on Harry Kane then.
tbh I would sign harry kane in a heartbeat.
Me too, but I won’t admit it here.
I see the “pundits” are already making predictions for next season.
Needless to say, some are writing us off already, despite the season only ending 22 hours ago.
I expect they believe we won’t do anything in the summer and all the big players will sign for the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd.
Football players have always struggled with the belief held by most that they are thick as shit. The likes of Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Paul Merson do nothing to dispel that belief.
20 years ago, when we have a game against a middle-table team, pundits used to say “Against Arsenal, they won’t see any of the ball” or “Arsenal will trash them”. These days, they predict we will collapse at one stage in the season. Many top teams did just that this season including Liverpool but they don’t do that every year. Liverpool won two CL and the league in 20 years, Chelsea won two CL and many times the league in 20 years, Man U won one CL and many times the league in 20 years. If you accuse Man City… Read more »
You can say what you want about Neville and Keane, I couldn’t care less; they’re a couple of wankers. But I’m not having you insinuate that Merse is thick. Paul Merson grew up in what many would consider to be abject poverty; he was also a shy sensitive kid who found academia difficult. But I’ll tell you this; he is as streetwise as they come and when it comes to understanding Football in terms of tactics and what is required by any given team in any situation, there is no better pundit than Merse. He has played the game under… Read more »
You’re not his dad, are you, Q?
No – that would be difficult, given we’re roughly the same age.
I’m just an Arsenal supporter. 😉
* I forgot Terry Venables (How could I..?!)
Forget those mindless pricks. They are often very subjective. They can’t reason without emotional attachment to their former clubs. I recently read somewhere that Rooney predicts Man United might edge City in the FA Cup. While it is not entirely impossible, surely the odds are stacked heavily against Man U. Rooney correctly foresaw City destroying Real Madrid, but for some reason, thinks Man Utd are up to it. It shows just how subjective pundits become when their clubs are involved.
Just like Wrighty.
There’s nothing wrong with anything Wrighty says. 😊
Day One of the close season and Sky are linking Odegaard with PSG.
You couldn’t write comedy like it if you tried. They (Sky) are such cunts. Utter UTTER cunts.
It’s a wonder they haven’t changed their name to Sky Blue, yet. The cretins.
Why do any of us care what any pundit thinks??
The context for this season we just had is that our annual wage bill was nearly HALF that of Man United or Chelsea, 45 million less than Liverpool and 66 million less than Man City. Of the big clubs in the division, we were by far the most efficient in using available resources. Using data from Capology, I calculated that a Arsenal earned 0.7 PL points per 100 k of seasonal wages. Tottenham were second best at 0.55, Man City 0.48, Liverpool 0.41, United 0.35, Chelsea bring up the rear with a historic disasterclass at 0.2. By rights we should… Read more »
For added context, the 45 million separation in wage bill between us and Liverpool (who are 4th highest) is the equivalent of the difference between our annual wage bill and that of West Ham or Everton’s.
The difference between us and Man United is 97 million, which would be enough to pay for the entire squads of Brighton and Leeds.
Having the youngest squad means they’ll all want pay rises. Up until signing Bergkamp, the Arsenal rule was no player earns more than double that of any other player. It made for a squad who faught for each other (literally at Old Trafford and v Norwich) but I’m not sure if it would work nowadays.
Come on Mikel, win the title next season, I was not convinced about you or the owners at the start of the season, your speech to the fans at the end of the season has convinced me you are the guy to take Arsenal forward. Clear out certain players and bring in 4 or 5 high quality signings.