Arsenal head into the 2024/25 Premier League season aiming to win a first top-flight title since 2004.
Mikel Arteta has led the Gunners to successive second place finishes, in their closest title challenges for over a decade, but Manchester City have got the better of him on both occasions.
Arteta's rivalry with former mentor Pep Guardiola has become a burning Premier League subplot in recent years with the former Everton and Arsenal midfielder closing the gap on his old friend.
However, questions marks remain on Arsenal's ability to handle the pressure in key moments of the season, against the enduring experience of City.
Arsenal lost just one league game from the start of 2024, to the end of last season, but City remained unbeaten and won the title by two points.
His team scored 91 goals, bettered only by City (96), but some fans felt the lack of a world class striker undermined them against the reliability of Erling Haaland for City.
Arteta indicated that a lack of edge is still a concern, following Arsenal's 2-1 friendly defeat to Liverpool in the USA, with the Spaniard demanding the highest standards even in preseason.
"We have to punish teams. Especially with the aggression that we played with and the amount of times we won the ball in dangerous areas, that's not happened enough", as per quotes from the Daily Mirror.
"It happened basically the other way around. That's where we need to improve. The first chance they had they scored and that's what makes the difference."
Arsenal now head back to the UK for two additional friendly games, against Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon in London, before starting their Premier League season against Wolves on August 17.
