Mikel Arteta admits ‘it’s about time’ Arsenal won the Premier League again

It’s often said success in football comes in cycles. Liverpool dominated the Eighties but then went three decades without a reign. United conquered in the Nineties and beyond under Sir Alex Ferguson, now a giant on the verge of a decade in the wilderness.

For Arsenal, it’s 18 years and counting. Since Arsenal were last Premier League champions, Manchester City have won the title six times. Manchester United and Chelsea have won five apiece. Liverpool ended their 30-year wait to be champions. Hell, even Leicester City won it once.

The closest Arsenal have been since that incredible Invincibles season in 2004 under Arsene Wenger is two second-placed finishes in 18 years. Even then, they finished 12 points behind Chelsea in 2004-05 and then 10 points behind Leicester in 2015-16, a campaign in which they weren’t even the two main horses in the title race until Tottenham capitulated.

Mikel Arteta has suggested ‘it’s about time’ Arsenal won the Premier League title again

Arteta has transformed the Gunners into title contenders after three years of hard graft

And yet, finally, there’s a feeling inside the club that their time is coming back around. Nearly three years under Mikel Arteta, a process trusted, teething problems endured, big money spent, and benefits reaped.

Arsenal amassed 31 points from their opening 12 games ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge today. No Arsenal side has amassed more at this stage in the Premier League era, one of only 10 teams to do so in its history. Of the other nine, eight won the title. Only Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle fell short.

And Arteta would love it if Arsenal could get it done. After all, it’s been a long time coming.

‘It is about time,’ said Arteta. ‘It’s been so long. We have to earn the time to be there. We have done that so far but there is still a long, long season ahead of us.’

The Spaniard admitted ‘there is still a long, long season ahead’ in his side’s bid for success

And there’s still the ominous shadow of Man City to keep at bay but that’s a beast for another day. Win their remaining two games before the World Cup, starting today at Chelsea, and Arteta’s side will be top at Christmas with their only league defeat coming to Manchester United in September.

It’s a defeat that still rankles with goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. There had been the real possibility of getting to the World Cup unbeaten in the Premier League.

‘It shows that we’re not untouchable, we still have a lot of things to work on no matter where we are,’ said Ramsdale. ‘It’s good every now and then to be reminded of things. Of course, we didn’t want to lose and it’s definitely a crinkle in the sheets. But it came at a good time for us and one which we really bounced back from well. It was a good reset for us.’

Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale admitted the side ‘still have a lot of things to work on’

Ramsdale has been a key part of Arsenal’s success and impressive form so far this season

Arsenal did respond well, better than the Arsenal of old. Eight wins in a row in all competitions. Their win at home to Zurich on Thursday secured top spot in their Europa League group. The process is working – even better than expected.

‘In both competitions, we’re ahead of what we thought,’ said Ramsdale. ‘We thought we would qualify first and be in this position in the Europa League, so to be in both positions in the different leagues, it’s a credit to the players and the staff. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves, we can put the Europa League to the side until the New Year and we can focus on the last few games before the World Cup.’

Ramsdale knows how big the psychological boost will be if Arsenal can go into the winter break on top of the Premier League.

Arsenal won their Europa League group and will top the Premier League with a win on Sunday

‘It would be massive,’ he said. If we go in like that then we have obviously had a great first period of the league. And then throughout the World Cup the management staff can re-evaluate things, players who have stayed behind can train really hard and then when we come back in we can try to put all that work on to paper.’

But first it’s Chelsea. Arsenal have won four of their last five meetings with their London rivals going back to their FA Cup final triumph two years ago. They’ve been victorious in their last two visits to Stamford Bridge.

‘It’s not too important but it gives you a good feeling, you have good memories,’ said Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard. ‘It brings maybe that little extra confidence into the game. We have to try to do that again.’

Captain Martin Odegaard said Arsenal’s record against Chelsea ‘brings extra confidence’

This time, there’s yet another manager in town in Graham Potter. Like Arteta, an astute tactician, albeit one at a much earlier stage of his journey at the club. It feels as though even Potter is yet to know his best Chelsea side, constantly chopping and changing formations and personnel.

‘We played Brighton a lot with him as manager and it’s always tough to play his teams,’ added Odegaard. Arsenal lost at home to Potter’s Brighton last season and were held to a goalless draw at the Amex Stradium.

‘He’s a very technically strong manager and it’s going to be a big battle. Every time we played Brighton it’s been tough. They’ve been almost playing man-to-man all over. They made it really difficult for us. I’m sure it will be some of the same things but I guess Chelsea has to do thing a bit differently.’

Graham Potter (left) has been praised by Arteta ahead of the game at Stamford Bridge

For Arteta, Potter is just another on the conveyor belt of top English coaches in the Premier League alongside Eddie Howe.

‘We have some exceptional young English coaches and we had a lot of coaches who gave us so much for this league,’ said Arteta.

‘They built a history in this league for the way the game has to be played and to keep certain special things that this league has.’

There will be another familiar face, too, as Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang goes up against his former club and a former manager who stripped him of the Arsenal captaincy in their high-profile fall-out.

Aubameyang has ramped up the stakes with a provocative BT Sport advert for the game in which he says: ‘Arsenal, nothing personal, I’m back, I’m blue, I’m ready.’

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be returning to face Arsenal for the first time since leaving

Aubameyang fell out with Arteta at the club and departed for Barcelona at the start of the year

‘It won’t be too weird,’ said Ramsdale. ‘I played against former team-mates before so it’s quite natural and I wasn’t with Auba for too long at Arsenal. It’ll probably be weird before and after but in the game it’s just Chelsea versus Arsenal.

‘Captain’s wise, Auba and Martin both aren’t the loudest of talkers, they both try to do it on the pitch and Martin has shown that this year and is doing really well. They’re not too dissimilar but Martin at the minute is flying high.’

And the message from the current captain is clear: if Arsenal want to be champions, these are the games they need to win.

Odegaard, who has impressed this season, said his side believe they can beat top teams away

‘These things are important for the confidence and for the feeling that we can beat these top teams away from home as well,’ said Odegaard. 

‘The United game was frustrating for us. We controlled the game and played good. But we suddenly gave away some easy goals and we lost the game. 

‘This is a game where we have to show a different side. We have to be ready to win these games, that’s important for us now.’