Mikel Arteta has moved Arsenal to the next level; they are now the model club, and everyone wants to be like them. However, some who want to be like the Gunners are unaware that getting there is a process. When Mikel Arteta took midway through the 2019/20 season at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal were 15th in the Premier League table, with 22 points from 18 games. Under Arteta, the Gunners lost only one of his first 11 Premier League games in charge, and they finished the season with 34 points from 21 games, the seventh-best record in the league since the Spaniard took over. Arsenal finished eighth.
Arteta was determined to play in a 3-4-3 system in the 2020–21 season, but it was unclear if it was what was going to earn him success. The former midfielder struggled with his project, reaching a low point in Christmas 2020, when they had only managed to accumulate 14 points from 14 matches and scored only four goals in their last ten Premier League fixtures. After freezing out Mesut Ozil in the summer, and with new acquisitions Thomas Partey and Gabriel Magalhaes struggling to adjust, Arteta’s tactics began to appear excessively tight and demanding.
In January 2021, Martin Odegaard arrived on loan to reinforce the assault even more, and while what followed was a little wild—more of a kitchen sink approach from Arteta after all that laborious planning—the season ended with 19 points from the final eight matches. Arsenal finished eighth again, but Arteta had earned a reprieve from his team’s great season-ending form. The trust in the process project now appeared to be coming together, but something odd happened at the start of the 2021/2022 season: Arsenal lost the first three (3) games, and the “Arteta must go” chants began.
Well determined not to fail, Mikel Arteta adopted the 4-3-3 formation, featuring Martin Ødegaard, Thomas Partey, and Granit Xhaka in midfield, which was a game changer for the project. After signing Aaron Ramsdale, he was confident in his defense, and Ben White helped patch things up. Unfortunately, Arsenal did not have much to celebrate that season, as they finished fifth.
Other than the changes in Arsenal’s game, Arteta was merciless in transitioning the Gunners away from an era of player power and overpaid stars. His new team—young, eager, and disciplined—was finally coming together. It took six transfer windows and a few formation adjustments, but at the start of the 2022–23 season, Arteta’s Arsenal had found their footing; it was clear what they were doing. That became evident after Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko quit Guardiola’s Manchester City to move to North London.
For most of the 2023–24 season, it looked like they’d win the league. When Saliba sustained an injury in March 2023, Arsenal held a five-point lead with 11 games remaining. Unfortunately, things fell apart, and they won only five of their final 11 games without him, conceding two-goal leads in 2-2 ties with Liverpool and West Ham United, as well as a 3-3 home draw with Southampton.
Enter 2023-24. Arsenal, eager to make amends for their title-race disappointments, made extensive use of the summer window. David Raya, Declan Rice, and Kai Havertz were three revolutionary signings. The recruits’ and Gunners’ stepping up saw them go on a fantastic league run. They held 18 clean sheets in the Premier League and only conceded 29 goals, demonstrating that they had complete control.
Arteta’s team finished second in the league with 89 points; they would have won if they had not struggled in front of goal earlier in the season and if they had beat City at the Etihad.
Arteta’s Arsenal has made gradual progress in each season, from 56, 61, 69, 84, and now 89 points. That’s all the information a Gooner needs to believe the Arsenal team will return stronger in 2024/25. I suppose some opponents may never have had the same patience as Arsenal supporters had to finally enjoy Arteta’s project.
Jack Anderson