LONDON, May 28 (Reuters) - Seven years after returning to a fractured Arsenal, Mikel Arteta will lead his side into Saturday's Champions League final against Paris St Germain, one win from completing a remarkable rebuild.
Guiding Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2004 this season has already repaid the club's long-term faith in him after three successive runner-up finishes.
Now he has the chance to go one step further and cap what could be the greatest season in Arsenal's history by delivering Europe's biggest club prize for the first time.
"We have raised different standards now, and now we have to go to the next level," Arteta said this week.
For a coach shaped by Pep Guardiola during a three-year spell as Manchester City assistant, imitation might have been the obvious route. Many have tried -- and failed -- to reproduce his fellow Spaniard's blueprint.
Arteta chose a different path.
Arsenal's rise has been built not just on control, but on pragmatism -- a blend of zonal dominance, high pressing and defensive discipline underpinned by a non-negotiable team ethic.
A side once mocked for vulnerability has been reshaped into one adept at winning ugly when necessary.
"You have to be ruthless and you have to be consistent... to create a winning mentality," Arteta said soon after arriving at Arsenal in 2019. "Without an identity, you cannot plan and you cannot convince a player to do what you want."
When Arteta returned to the club he served as a midfielder, those foundations were missing with the drift and discord that marked the final years of Arsene Wenger's reign deep-rooted.
"I am very lucky that we have an ownership model that understood the picture was ugly," he told the podcast the Overlap.
"The best part was changing the culture... to understand deeply how people feel about working in the organisation, and I wasn't happy... I wasn't impressed at all."
TEAM BONDING
The reset went beyond tactics. Arteta reshaped the environment at the training ground at London Colney, surrounding players with messages, mantras and symbols.
Unity and accountability became daily expectations, while team bonding helped build a tightly connected group. He even introduced a pet black labrador named "Win" to the training ground, with players sharing responsibility for walking her.
That 'family' environment now defines Arsenal as much as their football. Attention to detail has translated directly onto the pitch. The appointment of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover in 2021 proved a turning point, turning marginal gains into a decisive weapon.
Arsenal have broken the Premier League record for goals from corners this season, with more than a third of their goals coming from set-pieces, and a string of narrow wins underlining their evolution from nearly-men to champions.
Former Everton manager David Moyes sees that shift clearly. "You have seen Mikel over a few years, he has got dark arts... because you are desperate for your team to win," Moyes said.
Arteta still points to the collective.
"It's just a joy of a group... the togetherness, the unity, the love, the respect," he said after Arsenal sealed their place in the final by beating Atletico Madrid.
The road has not been smooth. Early setbacks and near-misses tested the project, but gradually Arsenal moved from contenders to champions, buoyed by what Arteta describes as the "energy, the positivity and the confidence" around the club.
Now, that belief faces its ultimate test against PSG - one of Europe's most formidable sides and a club tied to Arteta's own past. The Spaniard played for the French side early in his career.
"We have an amazing opportunity to write new history in our football club," he said.
From reset to resurgence, Arteta has reshaped Arsenal in his own image - disciplined, resilient and driven by belief.Now the final step is within reach.
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Christian Radnedge)
