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Arsenal secure Champions League football but questions remain over true success

On the pitch after Arsenal's victory over Newcastle, Mikel Arteta told supporters that his group of players have "hunger, the talent and the quality" to bring success to the club. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire.

WITH a sweep of his right boot, Declan Rice assured Arsenal of Champions League riches and another tilt at glory among Europe’s elite. But does it count as success?

It is open-topped bus season and for the fifth year in a row, the streets of north London will not be lined with red.

Depending on the outcome of Wednesday’s Europa League final, they may yet be adorned in navy blue and white if Tottenham can lift a trophy in Bilbao and somehow parlay 17th place and a 33-point Premier League deficit to their near neighbours into the same Champions League participation.

Moreover, memories of Newcastle’s own parade two months ago may not fade for a generation irrespective of whether they secure their own passage against Everton next Sunday.

Arsenal’s victory over Eddie Howe’s side all but guaranteed that they will finish second in the Premier League for the third successive season, but after two campaigns of chasing Manchester City to the line, they have merely been best of the rest this time around.

Last season’s points total of 89 would have been enough to win the title this season if Liverpool do not win their two remaining fixtures.

Mikel Arteta led his team into the Champions League semi-finals, the furthest of any English club. And yet his only managerial trophy remains the FA Cup which arrived eight months into his tenure at the Emirates.

Rice, as he was once more against Newcastle, has been a wonderful addition to the Arsenal squad, fortifying their midfield and guaranteeing a consistency of performance. And yet his only trophy remains the Conference League triumph with West Ham.

Averaging over 80 points per Premier League season is an astonishing achievement. And yet, as Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke admitted in the Newcastle match programme, still more is needed.

Kroenke wrote: “We plan to invest to get behind winning and doing better next season. We’re delighted we have our sporting director, Andrea [Berta], who will play an important role in this.

“Ultimately, we all want the same thing. As a club, we’re striving to win major trophies and, on the men’s front, we know we have fallen short of what we all wanted this season.”

Arteta knows what constitutes success, too, even if his impassioned speech to the Arsenal supporters on the Emirates pitch after the final whistle combined passion with an unmistakeable defiance.

Arteta said: “This group of players has the hunger, the talent and the quality. We have to make sure we chase our dream next season with enthusiasm and positivity.” Of course, progression is not always linear. Just ask Newcastle.

Champions League qualification two seasons ago put Howe’s team ahead of schedule in the minds of their Saudi owners.

Fixture congestion, injuries, Sandro Tonali’s near season-long suspension and enforced PSR compliance proved too convoluted a combination to navigate and made their 2023-24 campaign appear a step backwards.

And then came 2024-25, a first domestic trophy in 70 years and a return to the high-octane, dynamic football that seems likely to earn another top-five finish.

Momentum is with Newcastle. They have beaten Arsenal on three occasions this season and but for the brilliance of David Raya, might have made it four yesterday.

Their goal difference means that victory over Everton should be sufficient to secure a second Champions League campaign in three seasons.

The financial constraints that restricted recruitment over the past 24 months should ease somewhat to allow for high-profile arrivals, not departures.

What will also carry over is the giant bucket of credit with the Toon Army into which Howe can dip for months yet, perhaps even a season.

His statue outside St James’ Park is safe. He will be judged in glorious technicolour, not just black and white, for years to come.

Next season is another challenge, naturally, but while Howe will be given grace by the owners as well as the adoring fans, Arteta must guard against the gnawing discontent that marked the final years of Arsene Wenger’s reign at the Emirates.

Champions League qualification may fortify the bank balance and make future player acquisitions more affordable, but it does not on its own define success.