Opinion: Success for Arsenal isn’t complicated  | OneFootball

Another year, another period of great hope and optimism for Arsenal Football Club.

While that may not be a universal truth, there is certainly no denying that the Gunners are once again one of the favourites to lift the Premier League trophy in May. In fact, they are second favourites ahead of Manchester City, but of course, there is no guarantee of it actually happening, especially with Liverpool and City strengthening their squad.

A lot of critics of the club often point towards their inability to win that trophy as a sign that Mikel Arteta’s project is not going as well as many supporters would have you believe. Beyond that, the big elephant in the room right now is the fact Arsenal haven’t won a trophy in over five years.

All big teams go through periods like this but it really came into focus after Tottenham’s Europa League triumph earlier this year. When they were able to bring their near two-decade wait for silverware to an end, the attention shifted to the Emirates.

It also didn’t help when Crystal Palace lifted not only the FA Cup, but also the Community Shield. This is another London-based club that is not used to winning trophies which ultimately puts more pressure on Arsenal. Right now, Arteta’s team are 1/1 to win a trophy and 8/11 not to win a trophy this season. You just have to calculate the small difference in those odds to understand the mounting expectancy.

In terms of the season ahead, the objectives are pretty simple. Arteta knows better than anyone that the pressure will start to ramp up if they don’t hit the ground running, and with a tough start at Old Trafford, a bad performance could dictate the tone for the season..

The two things that Arsenal need to do to keep fans calm are finish in the top four and win a trophy. Obviously those two tasks are easier said than done, but in our view, it’s all about stability.

Winning the league is important, yes, and it’s far more important to supporters than winning the League Cup or FA Cup. With that said, this is about sending a message to fans and haters alike that Mikel Arteta is a man who can win trophies.

Sure, the first team play great football and the new signings this summer (taking the transfer spend under Arteta to €1 billion) are going to bring a different flavour to the club, but that doesn’t mask over how many other clubs have been able to have that day in the sunshine in the time it’s taken Arsenal to finish 2nd for three straight years.

The level seems to be going up with every passing year in the top flight and Arsenal have the fanbase, finances and players necessary to drive the club forward and succeed. Hopefully, they can prove that to the world this season. If they can’t, and these two goals aren’t met, the manager will be forced to answer some pretty uncomfortable questions next summer.