When Arsenal saw they had to travel to the south coast to newly-promoted Southampton at the start of the season, it would have been encouraging if they were in the midst of a final day title decider.
However, even with a win against The Saints, this Premier League campaign will end with The Gunners at least 15 points behind their tally from last season, when they were on the brink of dethroning Manchester City.
Arsenal all but secured second place for a third consecutive season following their 1-0 win over Newcastle United.
Their opponents Southampton narrowly escaped the humiliating status of the team with the lowest points tally in Premier League history, earning one point more than Derby’s 11 points in 2007/08.
Still, they head into their last fixture in the top flight, after their relegation was confirmed in early April.
Mikel Arteta will expect nothing less than three points but he clarified his side are subjected to defensive absences.
Jurrien Timber and William Saliba will be sidelined for a few weeks after picking up ankle and hamstring injuries respectively.
With Gabriel also unavailable to face Southampton, it may foreshadow another potential misfortune Arsenal will have to negotiate. The search for an additional recruit in the back line may be on the cards too.
Ultimately, Arsenal have conceded 33 goals so far in the league, which is seven less than champions Liverpool and they are perched at the top of the tree in this regard for a second season in a row.
Much of the credit is attributed to Gabriel and Saliba, however, David Raya has been the epitome of this solidity.
Arsenal’s first choice between the sticks and Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels are level on 13 clean sheets each in the Premier League.
The Spaniard won the Golden Glove last season and will look to acquire the accolade for a second consecutive time.
Arteta affirmed that despite the lack of significance the match may pose, the defensive record is part of the motivation for Sunday.
"There’s motivation because you want to have as many points as possible. You are always here representing this club to win and to play in the manner that we want to do. We still want to achieve the best defensive record, the Golden Glove is still to play for."
Arteta also spoke on the transfer dilemmas he faced before his compatriot was eventually introduced to the club.
David Raya and current Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale vied to be selected as Arteta’s favoured keeper and the competition between the two created some sense of disarray.
The Arsenal manager was resolute in his stance of having these two goalkeepers accelerating one another, competing for a spot. Could it also be a sign of the transfer strategy to come?
He alluded to the initial challenges about whether his decision over Raya was justified. Evidently, he has reaped the rewards of his conviction, and this also emanated a mentality that lacked complacency amongst his personnel from that moment on.
Arteta said, "We make decisions with that intention, but at the time it was a very unpopular one, there was so much pressure on it not to get it done. But I think we have to feel our gut and we have to be very analytical of what we think is necessary to improve the team, to take the team to a different level.
Certainly everybody, I think, at the club, around the team, our supporters are very happy with the way David has been consistently performing at the highest level in the last few seasons."
Time to Take Action
Andrea Berta’s arrival in North London as the new sporting director seemed a lifeline to fans to catalyse activity in the transfer market and ignite The Gunners’ attacking threat, which whittled away in vital stages this campaign as trophies evaded Arsenal in Arteta’s tenure once more.
Arteta said, "I think he’s going to be a big contributor with his experience, and the fact that he’s already won in very different contexts and the way he’s built teams, he is exceptional.
I think we have to share that responsibility and Andrea is going to be a key part to driving the plans and the ideas we have and try to execute them and we are here to support him."
Berta’s involvement behind the scenes at Atletico Madrid fostered success with Diego Simeone for twelve years in the Spanish capital.
But one of his first involvements at Arsenal could be to turn to Los Blancos, as speculation has emerged of Real Madrid winger Rodrygo being on Arsenal’s radar.
A set price tag of £67.5 million, as per The Metro, may provoke Arsenal to splash the cash on the decorated Brazilian 24-year-old, who has risen through the ranks at Real Madrid since 2019.
Arteta was reluctant to specifically clarify if Rodrygo is a possible target, despite abruptly suggesting that he does in fact have a number in mind in regards to the number of players he wants to sign.
Instead, he highlighted the elevated status Arsenal has built, and the strong appeal to top players around Europe which is likely to coincide.
"I wouldn’t like to name a player, but the bigger thing is that, and using the word pride, we have brought the club into a position, into a place that next season you have to win a major trophy.
That means that everybody believes that we have the level, that we have shown consistency and we are an elite team in this country and in Europe and if you don’t do that, then what is going to happen? For me that is the biggest statement, that Arsenal is there."
Undoubtedly, the imperative remains to win sizable silverware and it could be Arteta’s last roll of the dice at doing so.
The plans in the summer could give his side an edge by bolstering the squad.
Revitalising a group of players, the majority of which have endured several trophyless seasons, is also an extra incentive for Arsenal to leave no stone unturned during this upcoming transfer window.
"If you want to win major trophies, you have to be the best in the market. The teams that win have the best players, always, at this level."
On the flip side, the contracts of players such as Thomas Partey are expiring this summer.
When Arteta was questioned on where he stands in retaining the Ghanaian international, he seemed to indicate that he wants Partey to stay at Arsenal, saying he has "said it many times."
"There’s some question marks on a few of them (the players), so we’ll have to wait and see. We still have another Premier League match to play on Sunday and after that, we have some time to sit down and finalise a few things that have to be done.
In regards to Thomas, I think consistency-wise it’s been his best season. I think the way he’s played and performed, his availability has been exceptional and he’s a really important player for us."