Arsenal have ‘belief’ to end trophy drought, says Arteta

LONDON (AFP): Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the Gunners believe this season will be different as they aim to get over a series of near misses at winning silverware.

Arteta has not won a trophy since lifting the FA Cup in his debut season in charge in 2019/20.

However, he has transformed Arsenal back into serial contenders for major trophies. Arteta’s men have finished second in the Premier League for the past three years and reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009 last season.

The pressure is now on the Spaniard to get over the line after another major investment in new players in the transfer window.

Nearly £200 million ($266 million) has been spent on new striker Viktor Gyokeres, midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard, centre-back Cristhian Mosquera as well as winger Noni Madueke and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

“We know what our targets are and what we want to achieve this season — there is a big belief in our ability to achieve that,” Arteta said in his programme notes ahead of Wednesday’s pre-season friendly against Villarreal.

“We have been very, very close the last few seasons and the whole team is going to determine whether we achieve that or not.

“But at the same time, we have to make sure that we don’t lose sight of what we have to do on a daily basis to get to the levels that we want.

“We have to set the demands that we want within this goal, because that’s the most important thing — the internal demands have to always exceed any external demand. That is what we are trying to achieve every single day.” Arteta added he wants his players to feel “invincible” at home thanks to a special connection with the club’s fans.

“We want our people to start connecting with our players straight away, to start to build momentum and to start to feel that at home we are invincible,” he said. “That we play here with such passion, energy and connection with our people, that we are going to win the game.” Arsenal begin their Premier League campaign with a blockbuster trip to Manchester United on August 17.