Cesc Fabregas has thrown his weight behind his former club Arsenal, suggesting that clinching the Premier League title this season could be a catalyst for an era of success. The ex-Gunners midfielder, who also enjoyed glory with Chelsea, feels that a triumph would instill a winning mentality in Mikel Arteta’s squad, propelling them to consistently vie for major honours.
Arsenal’s impressive run last season saw them secure second place, their highest finish since the 2015/16 campaign when they also came in as runners-up. Despite reaching the Champions League quarter-finals and being in the thick of the title race alongside heavyweights Manchester City and Liverpool, doubts linger over their ability to sustain their challenge.
Memories of last season’s late dip, where they squandered an eight-point lead by gathering just nine points from eight matches, still haunt the Gunners. However, Fabregas is confident that progress this year will further unite the team.
Obviously you can imagine what it will mean,” the Spaniard stated. “More than just winning a title but the belief will be back, the trust between the players and the staff and the fans and the whole club.
The family that was there when I was there will be back, the moments of ‘we are strong and we know we can win’; at the moment it is a little bit ‘are we ready are we not’? If they can manage to win the first one, I believe it could become a constant threat for Arsenal to be challenging for all the top titles.”
But that may not prove easy for Arsenal, even with a successful end to 2023/24. Graeme Souness had a similar school of thought when it came to Liverpool’s chances following their Premier League title win in 2020, which serves as a warning to Fabregas and Arsenal.
This is a team that, going forward, you can’t say they are going to win it every year, but they will come close to winning this trophy and a big one, the big European one as well,” said Souness then.
“We did the game against Cardiff, Liverpool-Cardiff last year and I said to him last year, ‘Your team is ready to win trophies’. When they cross that white line, the manager installs that you have to give everything for the cause.
“When you combine that effort with the qualities they have up front and along the back, they are some team. There is not a team, when I look at them, that I think they wouldn’t enjoy playing against.
Any slip-up, the front three will punish you time and again. At the back, you want to get in a race with (Virgil) van Dijk? You ain’t going to win that. You want to try to out-muscle him, you ain’t going to win that.
“You have a special goalkeeper, arguably the best-attacking full-backs in the league right now. And when you factor in the age groups, if you include Gomez, the back five and the goalkeeper, that is a back-line that could be together for the best part of a decade and they are going to take some stopping going forward.”
While Liverpool have consistently been snapping at City’s heels, Pep Guardiola’s side are in the hunt for an extraordinary fourth consecutive title. Liverpool have maintained their status as one of the Premier League’s elite teams, though not always securing the top spot.
