Arsenal In The ‘Right Place’ As Arteta Marks Six Years At Club
An FA Cup success early in the Spaniard's reign is the only major trophy Arteta has delivered, but he has turned Arsenal back into Premier League title contenders and Champions League regulars.
Mikel Arteta believes his transformation of Arsenal has put the Gunners in a position to win major trophies as he celebrates six years as manager.
Victory at Arteta’s former club, Everton, on Saturday will guarantee Arsenal are top of the Premier League at Christmas as they aim to win the title for the first time since 2003/04.
An FA Cup success early in the Spaniard’s reign is the only major trophy Arteta has delivered, but he has turned Arsenal back into Premier League title contenders and Champions League regulars.
In this file photo, Arsenal’s Spanish head coach Mikel Arteta holds the winner’s trophy as the team celebrates victory after the English FA Cup final football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in London, on August 1, 2020. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP)
They failed to finish in the Premier League’s top four for six consecutive years between 2017 and 2022 but have come second in each of the past three seasons.
“The transformation has been around the club in terms of the size, in terms of revenues, in terms of the squad that we built, the value of it, the sporting success that we had, even though we haven’t won any major trophies yet,” Arteta said on Friday.
“I think it’s very, very consistent, so we’re in the right place.”
Arsenal lead Manchester City by two points at the top of the table but the gap has narrowed in recent weeks, with draws at Sunderland and Chelsea followed by just a second defeat of the season at Aston Villa.
Arteta’s men face a demanding festive season, with six games between December 20 and January 8.
And the 43-year-old is clear on what he wants for Christmas.
“Win, win, win, win, win all the games,” he said.
“I’ll say the rest will come naturally, but my mood, my energy is going to be much better (if we win), so that’s what I want.”
