More than two decades later, Arsenal is English champion once again.
Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday assured Arsenal a first Premier League title since Arsene Wenger's "Invincibles" in 2004.
The crucial decision
Arsenal's hierarchy had a big decision to make. It was Aug. 28, 2021, and the team had just lost 5-0 at Man City to slump to the bottom of the Premier League standings with a third straight loss to open the season — something that hadn't happened since 1954.
Arteta, a year and a half into his first senior coaching role, said he was questioning himself amid growing concerns he wasn't the right manager to take Arsenal forward. Mesut Ozil, who had just left Arsenal after being frozen out by Arteta, sarcastically posted "Trust the process" on social media, in a cutting reference to the methods of his former coach.
The board, headed by American owner Stan Kroenke, stuck with Arteta. He'd started life at Arsenal by winning the FA Cup at the end of his first season in charge and was beginning the tough process of building a new culture at the club.
This meant instilling more discipline and reshaping the squad by getting rid of players viewed as destabilizing, like Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Building through youth
In the early years of his tenure, Arteta placed his trust in younger players to revive Arsenal's fortunes and banked on the goodwill and faith of the board to let him see his plans through.
Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe were among the academy players promoted to the first team. An 18-year-old Gabriel Martinelli arrived from Brazil in 2019. Another 18-year-old, William Saliba, joined the same year from France and was initially loaned out.
Over the next couple of years, players under the age of 23 — such as Ben White and Martin Ødegaard — were signed. Arteta honed these youngsters into top-class Premier League players.
Spending to close the gap
It was clear that to make the final step, the club needed to buy slightly older, elite-level players like Declan Rice, Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze.
They didn't come cheap. Rice cost a reported 105 million pounds ($138 million) — then a British-record fee — in 2023. Gyokeres and Eze were signed for a combined price of around $160 million last summer.
More pressure was on Arteta now. He needed an immediate return.
Unconventional methods
Finishing as runner-up in the Premier League for the past three years saw Arsenal's players and Arteta derided as "nearly men," even chokers, by many soccer pundits.
An alternative view is that it built up the prerequisite experience and resolve to finally launch a successful tilt at the title.
Arteta kept believing in his squad — and kept coming up with unorthodox, ridicule-inviting methods to inspire his players. A professional pickpocket was reportedly hired for a preseason dinner and took items from players, highlighting the need for them to be alert at all times.
Arteta brought a lightbulb into the locker room ahead of one game, linking that to his demand for the team to shine and light up Emirates Stadium. Just a few weeks ago, TikTok videos featuring fan chants were played on big screens during practice sessions.
Mental toughness
Arsenal has been mentally tougher this season, holding on after yet another strong start to the campaign and seeing it through to the end despite City's trademark late-season rally.
Back-to-basics approach
Arteta's Arsenal has been the emblem of a more back-to-basics approach in English soccer. The title-winning campaign has been ugly at times, but the team found ways to win when it mattered most.