Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal are capable of beating anyone on their day, as shown by victories over the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, with the Gunners confident of competing with English football’s elite for more major honours.
The 2019-20 campaign ended on an FA Cup-winning high for the north London outfit.
Capital rivals Chelsea were seen off in the final, having overcome City in the last four, while the new season opened with a Community Shield triumph over Premier League champions Liverpool.
Arsenal have shown that they can hold their own against the best in the business, but Arteta concedes that consistency and belief remain issues to address at Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners boss told Sky Sports on his side’s ambition, as they look to chase down the likes of City and Liverpool in the English top-flight: "On any day we can beat them, compete with them and win trophies.
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"But the belief has to be sustained through a 10-month period, which is a different task. In order to achieve that, there is a lot of detail and work and behaviours that have to be maintained for a long time by a lot of players and staff. This is where we are.
"How quickly can we reduce that gap and how efficient we can be in achieving that? That is the challenge now."
Arteta hopes recent transfer business will help to make Arsenal more efficient, with the Gunners seeking to strike the right balance between youth and experience – with 32-year-old Brazilian forward Willian and 22-year-old defender Gabriel Magalhaes among those to have been snapped up this summer.
"There has to be a good mix," Arteta added ahead of a derby date with West Ham on Saturday.
"We are here to win at the end of the day. That is the thing that I like most about any sport. You get a much better feeling, much more belief in what you are doing, when you win.
"This is the kind of support that these young players, these incredible talents that we have, need around them to become better players. We are trying to get that balance.
"I am very happy with what we have at the moment. I think people are enjoying it, I see players who are happy coming to the training ground with the right motivation and the right level of responsibility. They get looked after but they get challenged at the same time."