Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal haven’t won enough during his tenure, despite their improvements over the last couple of years.

Arsenal's English midfielder #07 Bukayo Saka (L) and Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta gesture during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 17, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (L) and Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta gesture during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 17, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Arsenal are in a very different position today in December 2023 to where they were when Mikel Arteta took over, four years and three days ago.

When Arteta managed his first Arsenal match, the Gunners were 11th. Though he succeeded in lifting the team up a few places to eighth, as well as winning the FA Cup, that was followed by another eighth-place finish the following season.

Arsenal have slowly made progress since then, finishing fifth in 2021/22, then second in 2022/23, and the Gunners currently sit top of the Premier League.

But when asked about whether he would have been satisfied with that progress back in 2019, Arteta admitted the team need to win more trophies.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 08: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, celebrates following their sides victory after the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on October 08, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, celebrates following their sides victory after the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on October 08, 2023. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“I’m sure I would (have taken where Arsenal are now),” Arteta began. “But we still haven’t won enough important things and we want to be better and we want to be more successful.

“There are a lot of things that we have achieved together in those four years but thanks to the people that have been on the journey with us together and the ones that were behind us as well.

“You’re looking for ways to be better, and to improve, to evolve the club, the team, yourself individually as well as a manager, how you can be better for this group, what the team demands.

“Overall, I’m really pleased with what is happening around the club, with the people that we work with and how people feel, and how especially our people feel with how we’re doing.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 21: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, celebrates his team's victory after the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on August 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, celebrates his team’s victory after the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on August 21, 2023. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Arsenal have the chance to stay top of the league and go three points clear with a win over Liverpool on Saturday.

A draw would also keep Arsenal ahead of the chasing pack, but Arteta says a win has to be the goal.

“Last time when we beat them which was a while ago, that was a really good moment and something to replicate tomorrow,” Arteta said.

“We now have the experience of what we did last year that has worked for big parts of the game. And that’s a lot of things that we have to replicate and some others that we have to do better to win tomorrow.”

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