Arsenal came close, to winning the Premier League title season. They maintained their position at the top of the table for a 240 days, which was the longest any team has held that spot without clinching the trophy.
The reason, for their near miss? Manchester City.
Pundits commonly use the term "juggernaut" to describe Pep Guardiolas team.
The Cityzens dominated over the Gunners in the stages of the season to secure their consecutive title. Their goal now is to achieve something, in Premier League history. Winning it for four years.
There has been discussion about Arsenals downfall towards the end of the campaign. One notable reason was their lack of depth compared to City.
"When you reach the stage of the season it's crucial to have your players well rested and your substitutes in good form ready to step up in case of injuries or dips in performance from key players. If your substitutes have had playing time to find their rhythm they will seamlessly fit into the team during the moments rather than being thrown into high pressure situations all at once " explains Clinton McDubus, a respected football analyst and podcaster.
"Additionally having your key players properly rested allows them to make an impact on matches. Fatigue can affect composure and execution on top of being a barrier.
Mikel Arteta has been quite active, in the transfer market investing than £200m to secure the signatures of Jurrien Timber for £40m Kai Havertz for £67.5m as a forward and Declan Rice for £100m, in midfield. These signings were made just before his team embarked on their preseason tour of America.
Arteta was really keen, on bringing in reinforcements and integrating them into his style of play and tactics.
"I believe it's more about having faith in the substitutes than anything
"Does he have trust in them to give them starts and rotate frequently without worrying about a drop in quality?
"That decrease in quality will happen regardless of how strong the bench's if they don't get playing time and regular starts every few matches.
"Maybe his new signings will give him confidence in the players because some of them were players he relied on last season " McDubus explains.
However the first test of Arsenals readiness to challenge City will come against the reigning champions themselves when both teams face off in the Community Shield this Sunday.
This game marks the start of the Premier League season. It also presents an opportunity for a battle, for supremacy.
It does seem that Guardiolas squad is weaker than it was three months ago. Ilkay Gundogan has left Etihad as an agent to join Barcelona while Riyad Mahrez has been tempted by the rewards offered by Saudi Arabia. Only Mateo Kovacic has joined from Chelsea and RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol is expected to complete a move
Are the Treble champions ready to compete
"Man City doesn't really prioritize the Community Shield. They don't seem to care about it as other competitions " McDubus suggests.
"I believe Arsenal will be better prepared and might even win, maybe through a penalty shootout. Unless Haaland has a performance " McDubus concludes.
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