Having landed himself a hit with the 2022/23 campaign, Mikel Arteta now faces the prospect of a difficult second album. Few saw Arsenal's breakout season coming. Many didn't even have them finishing inside the top four, let alone running Manchester City close for the title. Now though, the demands are huge.
As well as being expected to challenge for the Premier League once again, Arteta wants his side ready to compete in the Champions League. This is something he has admitted they are not yet ready to do.
"At the level we want, no," he told football.london last month when asked if the Gunners were ready to compete on two fronts. "We didn’t have the capacity to do that as well with the Europa League so it’s part of that evolution. We have made a lot of good steps and strong steps in that journey and we have to continue. That never ends. We want to be better and the rest will be better, then the margins will be higher and we have to start to live with those standards and improve and be smarter."
