For years, Arsenal have been synonymous with second place. They’ve played some of the best football in England, gone toe-to-toe with Manchester City and Liverpool, and yet always fallen just short when it mattered most. The “bottling” tag stuck not because they lacked quality, but because they couldn’t finish the story they kept starting. They’ve had gilt edged chances to win the league in the last 3 seasons but all followed the same cycle for one reason or the other: strong run, belief building, and then collapse right when control seemed theirs.
But this season feels different. The squad looks deeper, the performances look steadier, and the fans are starting to believe again, if they ever stopped. There’s no sense of surprise around their position anymore, now it’s an expectation. Arsenal are not the young hopeful challengers of 2022/23 anymore, they now look like a team built to win. And after years of lessons, heartbreaks, and near misses, the moment to finally turn potential into silverware may have arrived.
For the first time in years, Arsenal finally look built to last a full season. In previous campaigns, one or two injuries were enough to throw off rhythm and force Arteta into awkward, sometimes questionable adjustments. That’s no longer the case. The squad now has quality in every department, and competition for places feels genuine, not forced.
The summer additions reflect that balance. Christhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié have added athleticism and composure to the defensive rotation, with the former impeccably replacing Saliba for the brief spell when the Frenchman was out injured while Noni Madueke gives Arsenal the one thing they’ve lacked on the right flank, a direct, unpredictable winger who can stretch defenses when Saka needs rest. Eberechi Eze has also come in on the left, signalling Arsenal’s intent as they all but stole him from right under the nose of North London rivals Tottenham. Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendo have strengthened midfield depth, offering the control and pressing intelligence that suit Arteta’s structure. Hale End is also not left out of the big picture, Ethan Nwaneri continues to impress when he plays and 15-year-old Max Dowman has shown flashes of pure talent, winning a penalty in one of his substitute appearances this season, a sign of a system that now produces and protects young talent properly. For once, Arsenal look like they can rotate without losing rhythm, something that has defined the best sides of the modern era.
Everyone already knows this but If Arsenal win something this season, it’ll almost certainly be because of their defense. It’s almost incontestably the best unit in world football right now, compact, confident, and rarely flustered. Gabriel and William Saliba have turned into the perfect pairing, one aggressive, one composed, both dominant in duels on the ground and in their air. They read each other perfectly, and it shows. Arsenal look secure even when defending deep or facing sustained pressure. This Center Back pairing has Arsenal keep the most clean sheets in each of the past 2 seasons, earning David Raya two Golden Gloves.
But behind the pairing, Raya himself has settled into his role as a calm presence and has become one of the best goalkeepers in the world. His distribution helps Arsenal control games from the back, while his decision-making under pressure has improved noticeably since his early wobbles, his shot stopping was elite right from his Brentford days and that has carried on to his time at Arsenal. Jurrien Timber’s return to full fitness and Riccardo Calafiori presence only strengthen the rotation, ensuring quality stays consistent even when changes are made.
This defense doesn’t just stop goals, it gives Arsenal control. It allows the midfield to take risks, the attackers to stay patient, and the entire team to play with composure. You don’t need to score four every week when no one can break you down.
Arsenal CAN score four though, their attack might not be the most ruthless in Europe, but it finally looks balanced. For years, fans speculated that a pure goalscoring No.9 was the final piece of the title winning puzzle and now they have Gerd Muller award winner, Viktor Gyokeres, a forward who fits the system, can link play, and finishes efficiently without necessarily forcing everything through him. He hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts but it’s expected that he will adapt and start consistently banging in the goals. Bukayo Saka remains the main outlet, still producing numbers at elite consistency, while Eberechi Eze, and Martin Odegaard offer creativity and pace that constantly stretch defenses. Add Noni Madueke’s directness off the bench, and Leandro Trossard’s guile and even Mikel Merino’s commendable goalscoring instinct while being a midfielder and Arsenal finally have different profiles for different game states.
It’s not about overwhelming teams anymore and make no mistake, they can and will do that but it’s about managing moments. This version of Arsenal doesn’t rely on chaos. They create pressure, stay patient, and wait for openings and when they come, they tend to be enough to punish the opponent.
Every strong season needs the right backdrop, the right amount of “luck” as some might say and while it might be too early to say, this one might be Arsenal’s. Liverpool look lost for ideas at the moment and Manchester City’s gradual fatigue as well as the uncertainty surrounding their midfield, especially in the absence of Rodri have opened a window. Arsenal’s style, compact, structured, and calm is built for exploiting that. They’ve learned to win without playing beautifully every week, something previous versions couldn’t do. They’ve hacked set pieces as well and become something very close to free-scoring in deadball situations.
In the league, that steadiness can be the difference between chasing and controlling. In Europe, it’s even more valuable. The Champions League doesn’t always reward the most explosive teams; it rewards those who can defend properly and take their chances. Arsenal finally look like that kind of side. A solid defense, a capable attack, and improved mental resilience mean Arsenal don’t need perfection to win, just consistency. And this season, they look ready to sustain it.
Failure from seasons past looks to also have played a role in hardening this team. They don’t panic when games get scrappy or when goals take time to come. The young core of Saka, Saliba and Odegaard now plays like veterans who’ve seen both sides of a title race. Arsenal no longer look like learners, they look like a side that knows what pressure feels like and how to handle it.
Mikel Arteta meanwhile is a truly great footballing mind who has built every part of this project but now it’s time to deliver, it in fact has been since 2022. The club has given him the squad, the control, and the stability. He understands now that pretty football means nothing without medals. This is his best and perhaps last chance to prove that process and results can finally meet.
Arsenal have reached a point where potential no longer counts. The squad is deep, the defense world-class, and the timing looks right. They don’t have to be perfect, they just have to be consistent. After years of coming close, this finally feels like the season where Arsenal can stop promising and start winning.
