Arsenal were top of the Premier League for a massive chunk of the last campaign and only stumbled in the last two months after a run of bad results saw them leapfrogged by Manchester City.
They missed out on the top spot by five points and let an eight-point gap slip in the tail end of the season.
It was much better than anyone affiliated with Arsenal would have expected at the start of the season though, and their strong performance - coupled with last weekend's Community Shield victory over City at Wembley - means fans of the Gunners are confident of challenging once again.
During last season, Arsenal were regularly blowing sides away thanks to their enigmatic, youthful side, with the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all stepping up with goals and assists to propel Arsenal to the top of the table.
Astute signings in the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko slotted in fast and brought with them a winning mentality to the young team. Old heads like Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey also put in consistently high levels of performance throughout the season.
But ultimately it was a lack of depth throughout the squad - especially in contrast to their title rivals Manchester City - that cost them dearly.
Whilst Pep Guardiola's side could boast two top-level XIs that left the Citizens able to compete on multiple fronts and secure their historic treble, season-ending injuries to stars like Jesus, Zinchenko and the impressive William Saliba ultimately left them threadbare and unable to keep up with the pace of the champions.
A solid window
Arsenal have addressed this somewhat in the window, targeting high-profile and exciting, accomplished talent to bolster their ranks - players who can go straight in to compete for a starting place.
England international Declan Rice is a clear standout, the former West Ham captain a fresh jewel in the Arsenal crown with excellent defensive stats, a captain's mentality and a growing belief in his attacking output. Arsenal will also be buoyed that they beat City to his signature and that the player himself wanted the move.
Some (i.e. Roy Keane) may baulk at his £100 million-plus transfer fee, but others still see it as a fair price for one of England's top talents. Time will tell.
Jurrien Timber has arrived from Ajax to provide more quality at right-back, whilst Kai Havertz brings versatility and fresh competition across the entire front four.
They've also let a few go, notably Xhaka, who while unsurprising in that a move had long been touted, had also just had arguably his best-ever season in an Arsenal shirt. It remains to be seen whether his ferocity and passion will be missed, even as a backup. His red cards, however, will not be.
More fixtures, more forwards
After a lengthy hiatus, Arsenal now have Champions League football to contend with once again. It will be interesting to see what impact this has, or whether it ultimately played much of a part in their domestic challenge last season.
Arsenal were out of the FA Cup by the end of January and out of the Europa League by March last season, which allowed them to stick all their eggs into one basket by April.
The squad is young yet now experienced and so physically should be able to cope with the heightened demands - but the Gunners still don't have the full squad depth of City or even Manchester United or Chelsea.
It feels as though the club are still a player or two short, particularly up front.
Whilst Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson had positive roles to play last season, popping up with crucial match-winning goals at various points, they still have a lot to prove to be considered top-level forwards, and certainly, neither is in danger of ousting Gabriel Jesus as a starter.
Folarin Balogun is now back at the club after his loan spell in France, at least for now.
The USA striker bagged 22 goals in 39 appearances for Reims last season so would surely be worth a punt, but he is seemingly set to depart again with clubs like Inter Milan keen on bringing him in.
Arsenal finished the season with a healthy +45 goal difference, scoring 88 goals to City's 94. However, they scored a lot of these in bunches and clearly struggled immensely when Jesus picked up his injury, and the Brazilian is set to miss at least the first few games of this campaign as well.
New signing Havertz has experience as a striker but hardly set the world alight when playing there for Chelsea.
A sturdy, reliable backup striker, possibly one who offers something a bit different to Jesus in size and strength, may be required before the summer window shuts.
One positive in pre-season has been Leandro Trossard's fine goalscoring form, and the Belgian could well be the understated key player for the Gunners this season as the games begin to pile up.
A centre-back also wouldn't go amiss. Saliba and Ben White both enjoyed strong seasons, but after that, they only have Gabriel and have often utilised Kieran Tierney there during pre-season. Rob Holding just isn't up to the standard they're seeking to reach and was often targeted as a weak point when he played last year, particularly when facing world-class talent like Erling Haaland.
Arsenal conceded 10 more goals than City last season and they ideally need another option to help close that gap.
No major tactical tweaks
Tactically, we shouldn't expect to see much difference from Arteta's side. Pacey attacks down the wings and plenty of service through Odegaard down the middle will continue, and a steeliness in the middle will lack the chaos of Xhaka but be improved by the professionalism of Rice.
What we may expect to see is a bit more pragmatism - Arsenal were forced to come from behind a few times last season and just about got away with it on a fair few occasions, be it via late wins or rescued draws.
That's not a bad habit to have in your locker, especially as we'll start to see plenty more minutes being added on at the end of games this year (something they've already benefitted from in the Community Shield), but more sensible approaches to the beginnings of games and not giving away leads will be something for them to improve upon.
They also need to work on their concentration as they let a few leads slip.
Still City's closest challengers?
Ultimately, Arteta and Arsenal are going into the season aiming high, and rightfully so. Catching up with City is still a tall order for any of the other 19 Premier League sides but Arsenal fans will feel they're probably the team in the best position to do so.
Keeping key players fit and healthy throughout the season will be key, as will striking a balance between the rigours of Champions League football and sustaining a Premier League challenge.
They will, however, face a stiff challenge in the top four from the likes of Manchester United and most likely a rebounding Liverpool, a purring Newcastle, a rebuilt Chelsea and a wounded Tottenham, any of whom could spring a surprise in leapfrogging them. It's vital they avoid a skid in form like in April and May.
If they can start fast and build an early gap at the top of the table, they'll have last season's experience to lean on and avoid repeating their costly mistakes - but they may be forced to prioritise a competition should they go deep into the late stages of Europe.
