Gradual progress, incremental improvement. Arsenal have been on a serious upward trajectory over the past few seasons, and now there's only one place left to go. Of course, that final step is always the most difficult, yet it is also the end ambition, the goal, the whole point of a new direction, new investment and new reason for optimism.
Mikel Arteta like most bosses who go up against Pep Guardiola-led teams - remains unproven in that most important context. If last year was about showcasing they could stay the course and be in a genuine title fight into the final week or two of the season, then 2024/25 must be about underlining the reasons why Arsenal can take the final step - and, of course, about actually taking it.
Two points off the title as they were last year feels close, and yet... it never feels that close to Manchester City, somehow. This is after all a team who have twice won the league recently by single-point margins, have hit record tallies along the way and have become experts in seeing out the season.
If you're behind them by a point, or four, with seven or eight games to go and win the rest of your matches... you probably finish a point, or four, behind them. To win the English title, rivals have two options: be damn near perfect, or wait for City's fairly minor slip-ups and be ready and in place to have a merely exceptional season themselves.
Let's put that into context for Arsenal. The Gunners were largely very good last year, won 28 of 38 games and claimed 89 points. It wasn't their best-ever season: their record points haul for a single top-flight season is 90. They achieved that over two decades ago, in 2003/2004.
Denne historien er fra August 15, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 15, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
England's white-ball reset presents difficult challenge
The Bazball 2.0 white-ball venture has been confirmed for the start of 2025, but before that England take on Australia in a white-ball series packed into September.
Golden boots shine bright for Kane on winning night
He wore golden boots. And he has won them too of course. Three as the Premier League's top scorer, one for outscoring everyone else in a World Cup. It was a fitting way to mark Harry Kane's century of caps, though. Not the most fitting: that came after the presentations. England 2-0 Finland was Kane 2-0 Finland, a golden night for the golden boots.
Kane scores twice as he celebrates his 100th cap
As much as this match rightfully became about Harry Kane, there was something else it resembled as Lee Carsley’s England fluidly worked the ball to the centurion for his 67th and 68th international goals. It was like one of the top Premier League teams patiently moving a Championship side around until the gaps presented themselves.
Government in final stages of £500m Tata rescue deal
The government is working to finalise a rescue deal worth £500m for Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant this week, following the closure of its blast furnaces, according to reports. The package of support had been drawn up by the previous Conservative government.
Neil steps down as chair of Spectator after £100m sale
Political journalist Andrew Neil has resigned as chair of The Spectator after 20 years at the helm. Neil spoke of his great sadness” at stepping down after the immense privilege” of chairing the world’s oldest current affairs magazine. Financier and GB News investor Sir Paul Marshall becomes the 196-year-old magazine’s 14th proprietor.
Asos has revealed that fast fashion needs to slow down
The online retailer's new charge for serial returners has been met with uproar. But perhaps it should be a wake-up call if your cheap-clothing habit is that severe, writes Helen Coffey
Faulty connections make direct flights a good idea
\"The next SkyLine Shuttle will depart in zero seconds.\" That was one of many fibs I was told during a long, winding and annoying journey yesterday afternoon and evening from Tirana in Albania to London Heathrow.
TOE-TO-TOE COMBAT
It's hard to believe, but a small Derbyshire town has hosted one of the strangest competitive sports in the world for 50 years. Elizabeth McCafferty watches from the sidelines
Parents need to realise they play a role in kids' behaviour
We appear to be living in dark days for British children. Last month, a report by The Children's Society suggested that kids in the UK faced a \"happiness recession\".
Jeremy Kyle and shows like it demonised working class
In 2019, Steve Dymond appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show, taking a lie detector test to prove to his ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan that he had not cheated on her. A week later, the 63-year-old was found dead at his Portsmouth home.
