The curtain has fallen on the Premier League season, with Manchester City being crowned champions for the fourth consecutive time under coach Pep Guardiola. The title came at the expense of Arsenal and its Spanish coach Mikel Arteta, who was on the verge of touching the trophy, were it not for the City train that has run over everyone in recent months.
Despite Arsenal's defeat in the race at the last moment for the second consecutive season, credit must be given to Arteta and his team for nearly winning the title against one of the best teams in history, if not for some small details.
**The Rescuer**
Arteta began his coaching career as an assistant to Guardiola at City before receiving a call from Arsenal to appoint him as the team's technical director in 2019. Since that moment, Arsenal has gradually begun to regain its stature, moving closer to the top ranks, both domestically and continentally, after years of being completely out of the picture.
In the season preceding Arteta's arrival, the Gunners finished sixth in the Premier League, 37 points behind champions Manchester City. Despite being appointed in the middle of the 2019-2020 season, the Spanish coach managed to slightly improve the team's situation, gradually narrowing the gap with the big teams.
In his first season, Arteta led the Gunners back to the podium by winning the FA Cup against Chelsea, followed by the Community Shield just weeks later against Liverpool. Starting from the 2020-2021 season, Arteta began addressing weaknesses and gradually working to fill gaps, despite a cap on the spending budget in the transfer market.
Looking at the results, Arsenal was still far from the picture, but some new features began to emerge in the team that Arteta was starting to build over the following seasons.
**An Uncrowned Champion**
The London club's management demonstrated great confidence in Arteta, thanks to the work that was gradually bearing fruit, especially in terms of performance, despite the low quality of some team elements over the last four years. Beginning with the 2022-2023 season, the features of the new Arsenal began to appear clearly, transforming into a key contender for the Premier League title, despite the quality gap with Manchester City and Liverpool.
However, Arteta's work has narrowed these gaps to the extent that he nearly captured the title that has eluded Arsenal since 2004, by leading the standings for over 200 days last season. This season, while Liverpool fell at the final stages of the race, Arsenal continued to compete with City; had it not been for the surprising loss to Aston Villa a month ago, they might have been crowned champions.
Considering Arsenal's performance this season, it becomes evident that Arteta has succeeded 100% in restoring the Gunners' prestige in the hearts of opponents and fans, after years of being away from the competition’s spotlight.
This season saw the London team win 6 out of 10 matches against the top six teams in the Premier League, while drawing in 4 occasions without losing a single match, a record that showcases the strength Arsenal has achieved. Even Manchester City lost 4 points solely against Arsenal.
Strangely enough, Arsenal achieved 28 wins this season in the league, equal with City, marking their highest record in a single season in their history, surpassing the number of wins during their unbeaten season (2003-2004), when they earned 26 wins, the same number they achieved last season as well. However, these remarkable figures have not yet been enough to crown Arteta’s efforts with his team, as they await the outcomes of future seasons.
