Arsenal finished second and then second. Now they will finish second. “I think we are in the right trajectory,” said Mikel Arteta. But if it is important for managers to maintain an impression of progress, he was not simply citing league position. The Premier League table can indicate that Arsenal have both stood still, in terms of position, and regressed, in their points tally. The Champions League suggests they have made a seismic step forward. Arsenal, the conquerors of Real Madrid, keep company with the best and yet win nothing themselves.
“In the last three seasons there is one team that has been better than us in total points, which is Manchester City, which is the best team in the history,” argued Arteta. Liverpool’s Premier League title, however, did not require any points procured before the 2022 World Cup. Arsenal’s season has instead been something of a holding year, encouraging in parts but not others, postponing long-held ambitions for another year. Arteta’s argument is that injuries have delayed them. “I've seen teams finishing 8th, 10th, 16th when they have smaller issues,” he said; it sounded uncoincidental that Manchester United are 16th, and Tottenham were recently, but Arteta claimed to have neither of the underachievers who will contest a European final in mind. Arsenal are not far off their combined points total; they are also 12 adrift of Liverpool’s.
