Although Mikel Arteta has injected clear tactical concepts and distinctive style into Arsenal, the blank spots on the honor roll still make many people question him. "Progress" alone can no longer meet the expectations of fans.

Arsenal's last trophy was in the 2020 FA Cup final, when they defeated Chelsea. In the following seasons, the team has remained at the top of the Premier League and has made some breakthroughs in European competitions. This season, they even made it to the Champions League semi-finals, but ultimately lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, once again missing out on top glory. Even though they may be the runner-up in the Premier League for the third time in a row, Arteta is still required to come up with a true "championship answer sheet."

Meanwhile, his childhood friend Xabi Alonso has been thriving at Leverkusen. In his two and a half seasons at the helm, he has a winning rate of 63%. Under his leadership, Leverkusen not only won the Bundesliga title, but also finished the season with a record-breaking record, remaining unbeaten in domestic competitions, and is now widely expected to take over as Real Madrid manager next season.

Former Arsenal midfielder and French star Emmanuel Petit said in an interview that Arteta must lead the team to win a heavyweight championship as soon as possible, otherwise his coaching image will be "stereotyped" as "failing at the last step."

"We all know the connection between Barcelona and the players who played there, and Arteta still has that connection even though he was there for a short time," Petit said. "He's done a really good job at Arsenal, but he needs to win a really important trophy, otherwise people will always think he always fails at the crucial moments. He's coaching one of the biggest clubs in the world and that impression must be changed."

Petit believes that Alonso's trajectory reflects the gap between "potential" and "realizing potential": "Alonso looks like he will coach Real Madrid soon because he has changed Leverkusen and the mentality of that club. Arteta must change the outside world's perception of his name, which is the key."

As Arsenal enter another summer of rebuilding and reflection, Arteta will face unprecedented pressure. He needs a trophy to truly break the label of "one step short of the final shot".