Mikel Arteta is well aware that after winning last season, expectations from Arsenal have risen significantly. Photo: Getty Images/Stuart MacFarlane
The annual pre-season broadcast day can be a long test for Premier League players. The rights holders need their materials for the new campaign, and the players of each club are obliged, whether they like it or not, to take part in photo shoots and commercials that will be shown on TV screens around the world.
This can be a tedious job, all that talk and modeling, but in the latter stages of Arsenal's media day this week, there was a special guest who instantly brightened up the event. She arrived a little late, but she is no diva and was fully prepared to pose for her own photo shoot.
Her name? Win. Her role? Club of Labradors. One of the new members of the Arsenal family joined the club earlier this year and has quickly established himself as a key figure at the training ground. After all, as any Labrador lover knows, the right dog can change the atmosphere of any home.
Vin was chosen by Mikel Arteta as «representative of who we are now,» he said. , and develop a sense of family in London Colney. It's an interesting approach, and as another season approaches for Arteta, his choice of a name for their chocolate friend is indicative of a new level of expectation surrounding the club.
“What are we here for? We're here to win because we all love to win,» Arteta said in a recent interview with GQ when asked about Vin's name. “It should have been Vin.”
When Kai met Vin 🥰 pic.twitter.com/Mr8nJpuUrm
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 9, 2023For Arteta, this is everything. Victory. Everything is aimed at success, and for Arsenal this means winning trophies. Expectations at Emirates Stadium have changed after last season's surprise title challenge and the club is facing a new reality as they prepare for their first Premier League game against Nottingham Forest.
Twelve months ago, everyone thought that Champions League qualification would be a «good campaign» for Arsenal. Not anymore. Not after last season and certainly not after spending over £200m this summer to strengthen the team. Another problem with the title is the minimum expectations of the club's fans, who dream of much more than a simple second place in a row.
The arrival of high-paid players like Declan Rice has raised expectations at Arsenal. Photo: Getty Images/Marc Atkins
All this means that Arteta, especially Arteta, must now operate under a different level of external pressure. For much of his tenure, the club's supporters believed that Arsenal were rebuilding and reconfiguring, but now the real drive is to win every competition they enter. Previously, the keywords were «patience» and «process». These days it's «points» and «performance».
Arteta knows this better than any fan or senior club executive, and he never shied away from having to end up lifting trophies at Arsenal. After beating Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, he said: «That's why we're here — to win trophies for this football club.»
Saturday's meeting with Forest marks the beginning of a new phase in Arteta's career as Arsenal head coach. It may sound harsh, but the reality is that the Spaniard will come under pressure if Arsenal do not once again embark on a consistent title challenge. A memorable Champions League win is more of an expectation than a hope.
Arteta has always made it clear that the club should never settle for anything less than winning major trophies. The difference between previous seasons and this new campaign is that most viewers in the stands and in the media now agree with him.
Arsenal and Arteta are looking to win more than the Community Shield this season. Photo: Getty Images/Mike Hewitt
It will be interesting to see how the Emirates public react in the coming months. In the early stages of last season, Arsenal and its supporters experienced unexpected joy as the team went on to win victory after victory. Few fans thought Arsenal would be at the top of the table by the World Cup break, and there seemed to be a collective agreement between them just to enjoy the trip.
But by spring, the title race was real. Suddenly, Arsenal had something to lose, and it was felt in the stands. The vibe has always been positive, perhaps more positive than at any other point in the Emirates era, but some of the old impatient groans and annoyed sighs began to return as the trophy slipped from Arsenal's hands.
This year's thirst more title than ever. Next May will mark 20 years since Arsenal's last Premier League win. For such a club, two decades without conquering English football is too long. History weighs heavily on the current line-up, along with heightened expectations of the outside world. Winning helps relieve pressure off the field and it's time for Arsenal to win on it.
The Way Forward: Premier League Preview
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