Arsenal Ready to Challenge City After Close Finish Last Season

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that his players are determined to secure the Premier League title this season and end Manchester City’s reign. Despite finishing second to Manchester City in the past two seasons, falling just two points short last year, Arteta has received strong signals from his squad about their ambitions for the upcoming campaign.

Following the final match of last season against Everton, Arteta, alongside owner and co-chairman Josh Kroenke, players, and staff, gathered in central London. Arteta noted that the players expressed their desire for greater success, saying, “All the players were saying to me, ‘we’re going to be better, we’re going to do it, we want more.’ They are driving that ambition, so that’s always positive.”

Arsenal will kick off their season against Wolves at Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Arteta expressed his excitement for the new season, stating, “We are really excited. We’ve been missing the competition for many weeks, too long for us. We’re so willing to start, really enthusiastic about it.” Despite a challenging pre-season, Arteta believes his team is sharp and eager to compete.

Arsenal faces the challenge of improving their points tally for a fifth consecutive season, a feat no Premier League team has achieved. The Gunners have progressed from 56 points in the 2019-20 season to 89 points last year. Alan Shearer in his BBC Sport column, suggested that Arsenal’s title chances could improve with the addition of a top striker.

Arteta acknowledges that his team is still developing and has room for improvement. He emphasized, “We’re still very far from perfection. This team still has levels to reach, and I see reasons to believe that because of their training and play every day.”