Mikel Arteta faces a huge evening in the Carabao Cup when Arsenal take on Crystal Palace. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
When Mikel Arteta signed his contract extension in September, his ambition was clear. “I would say a lot of major trophies.”
It’s been more than four years since the Spaniard won his sole major piece of silverware with Arsenal. No one can take Arteta’s 2020 FA Cup winner’s medal away from him, but the inherited squad and undefined style of play make the circumstances around that victory slightly detached.
That’s not to say the job he’s done at the Emirates Stadium hasn’t been remarkable. Arsenal have gone from back-to-back eighth placed finishes to back-to-back title races. Each year under the Spaniard they have improved in terms of points tally and it has taken arguably the best team in Premier League history to stop them from winning a title.
The good will this has bought Arteta is deservedly huge. The atmosphere has changed entirely around the club and his name is bellowed out home and away by Arsenal supporters. Now though, there is just the slightest hint at a chink in the armour of positivity Arteta has made for himself.
After Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Everton boos rang out around the Emirates Stadium for the first time in years. A title race has quickly transformed from a hope to an expectation. Arsenal fans have entered an era where they are no longer happy to be simply challenging for trophies. They want to win them.
