Follow @Mike_ThePundit on X for more expert analysis.
There’s a difference between being good and being elite. Between pushing for something and belonging at the very top. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have crossed that line, and if there were any doubts, Last Wednesday night in Madrid was the confirmation.
Not a fluke. Not a lucky break. A 2-1 win at the Bernabeu off the back of a 3-0 thrashing in London to knock out Real Madrid and march into the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Arsenal owned everything about the tie.
? ???????, ???????, ??????? ?
— Bet9ja: The home of #betBOOM! ? (@Bet9jaOfficial) November 9, 2024
Is Mikel Arteta under pressure to deliver for the Gunners? ?#Arsenal #Chelsea #EPL pic.twitter.com/4add2EUh5d
For the first time in 15 years, they’re in the last four of Europe’s biggest competition. But more than that, for the first time since the Wenger peak, Arsenal look like they belong there.
Arteta hasn’t just improved Arsenal. He’s redefined them. Arsenal are elite again.
When he walked through the doors in December 2019, the club was drifting. Eighth in the league. Some sort of disconnection from a few parts of the fanbase. Bloated with players who weren’t good enough and weren’t bothered enough. Arteta’s talk of “non-negotiables” felt almost naive at the time. He had never managed before. Arsenal were a mess. But he started digging.
He made difficult calls, benching senior players, clearing out dressing room voices that didn’t fit the new tone. There were stumbles. Painful defeats. Public criticism. And yet the vision stayed consistent. A reset. A rebuild. Not shortcuts, but structure.
Now, five years later, you can see the results everywhere. Players who not only fit the system, they believe in it. They believe in him.
Against Madrid, that belief was on full display.
Saka missed a penalty, he scored. Madrid equalised. Arsenal didn’t blink. They kept playing. Kept trusting each other. Kept trusting the plan.
Martinelli ran like a man possessed. Rice swallowed Jude Bellingham in midfield. Jakub Kiwior, starting in place of Gabriel, didn’t put a foot wrong. Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18-years-old, looked like he had been playing Champions League knockouts for years.
These aren’t just talented players. They’re part of something. That’s the Arteta effect.
Arsenal fans used to whisper the phrase “big club mentality” like it was some faraway dream. Now they see it every week. In the English Premier League title race, although this season they really did not give a good push. In the Champions League last four. In the swagger with which this team goes toe to toe with anyone.
Last season’s title collapse could’ve broken them. Instead, it seems to have hardened them, although they didn’t give the title push this season like the last two seasons. There’s more maturity now. More game management. Less panic.
They can win ugly, grind out 1-0s away from home. But they can also blow teams away, like they did to City, and now Madrid. The belief has caught up with football.
Arteta spoke after the Madrid win about pride. About how his players deserved this moment, and how much more there is to come.
Arsenal still have more levels to climb. More trophies to chase. But they’re no longer chasing with wide eyes and hopeful hearts.
? ????? ??? ????! ?
— Bet9ja: The home of #betBOOM! ? (@Bet9jaOfficial) April 22, 2025
Now you can win up to ?1 BILLION! ?
Even ???? explosive odds! Even ???? chances to win! ?
Are you playing with Yhemo? ?#CatchTheBOOM pic.twitter.com/YqH6aBuZ2c
Now, they’re chasing because they know they can win.
Arsenal aren’t trying to prove they belong at the top anymore — they are the top. Beating Real Madrid wasn’t just a result. It was a declaration. A coming of age.
They’ve grown so well.
This isn’t just Arteta’s team, it’s his club. His fingerprints are everywhere. His ideas. His standards.
A Champions League semi-final. A title race. A squad that’s young, fearless, and locked in.
But more than anything, they’ve found clarity. Identity. Purpose.
That’s the difference between the good and the elite.
And under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal now live on the elite side of that line. All credit to him.
Cheers to you Super Mik!
Bet on Arsenal’s next match right here at Bet9ja!
