Mikel Arteta has transformed Arsenal back into title challengers, but is the lack of a major trophy recently a cause for concern?
There can be no denying the wonderful job Mikel Arteta has done as Arsenal manager. After a rough start that saw many want the Spaniard fired, staying true to the process has paid dividends, hasn't it?
Granted, when Arteta took over, Arsenal was a struggling team finishing 8th in consecutive seasons in 2019/2020 and 2021/22. But since then, a fifth-place finish (2021/22) and runners-up in back-to-back seasons in 2022/23 and 2023/24 to Manchester City.
For some, that is progress enough, but others, there are no moral victories, and they want trophies.
But is the time for Arsenal to win a "major trophy" overdue? One could easily say yes, and when we say major trophy, we don't mean the Community Shield, either.
Arsenal's last big trophy was the FA Cup win over Chelsea in 2019/20, which feels like eons ago given how the club has transformed itself since. The last time Arsenal won the Carabao Cup/League Cup/ EFL Cup, as it has been called, was in 1992/93. That's a long, long time between drinks.
So, while Arteta has done a superb job getting Arsenal to be big players in the Premier League and the Champions League, aside from participation ribbons, he and the club have nothing to show for it.
That brings us to this season.
Arsenal are into the Quarter-Finals of the Carabao Cup, facing Crystal Palace, so that presents a solid chance at some silverware. But Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham are still in the competition, so there is still a lot to play out.
The FA Cup draw was recently made, and the Gunners face United at the Emirates, so it will be no easy task to get out of the third round. Plus, they are sitting nine points behind league leaders Liverpool, so that looks like a tough task already.
So that is where the Gunners currently sit this season regarding major trophy chances, and having not won anything since 2019/20, it is feasible to think that some sections of the supporter base now want the team to start collecting trophies.
Of course, there are others who think that Arsenal should focus all its attention on claiming its first Premier League title should take priority, and that is a fine argument, too.
There can be no denying the progress that Arsenal has made under Arteta, but with a few seasons now past since a major trophy has been won, is it overdue?