“We changed clubs,” but Arteta left disappointed

So close and yet so far – and the mood was defiant.

Mikel Arteta perhaps knew before this game that Arsenal's title race had already begun. As a former assistant to Pep Guardiola, he knows as well as anyone how ruthless Manchester City can be.

It was definitely over when City took an early lead against West Ham on a day when they didn't need to win for Arsenal to have a chance of a first league title in 20 years.

So in the post-match interviews at Emirates Stadium, Arteta and his players had time to reflect on second place – and take the positives from an impressive season.

Arsenal finished with 89 points, their second-highest total in a Premier League season. Only the 90 scored by the legendary Invincibles side in 2003/04 can be bettered by this Gunners team.

Captain Martin Odegaard admitted they had come up just short but wanted to highlight the positives.

“I think we're all a bit disappointed,” he told fans on the Emirates Stadium pitch after the final whistle.

“We fought for the big dream for so long. We were so close. I'm so proud of the boys, so proud of the team, the fans. I’m so proud of the progress we’re making.”

“We have changed the club and I think you all believe in us now.”

“Arteta has brought back faith”

There is plenty of young talent in the Arsenal squad to back up Odegaard's comments. In defence, goalkeeper David Raya overcame nervous moments to win the Premier League Golden Glove for most goals conceded.

Before him, William Saliba became the first outfield player to play every minute for Arsenal in a Premier League season.

Arteta hopes Jurrien Timber can join Saliba in a strong Arsenal defense next season. Against Everton, Timber made his second Premier League appearance after sustaining a serious injury in his first appearance on the opening day.

He would also have liked to have had Bukayo Saka available against Everton, as the winger was missing due to a muscle problem.

But while Arsenal finished the season without a trophy, Arteta has built a team that looks capable of pushing City again next year.

“Arsenal was a club that lacked belief for a long time and Arteta has brought a lot of that back,” six-time Premier League winner Rio Ferdinand told TNT Sports.

“He has completely convinced the fan base. Yes, they didn't achieve some of the goals they started the season with, but he created a football team that the fans want to support.”

There are still some questions that Arteta needs to answer, most notably what to do with their attacking line.

Kai Havertz becomes the fifth player to score 20 Premier League goals in his debut season at Arsenal, joining Thierry Henry, Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Alexis Sanchez.

But whether a world-class number nine would be the answer to the puzzle of catching Manchester City is something Arteta needs to clarify.

“City has to be careful in the next few years”

“As simple as that [that Arsenal need a number nine]” Former West Ham captain Nigel Reo-Coker told BBC Radio 5 Live. “You can see why they have been linked with Alexander Isak from Newcastle because they need that.

“If you think they lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Arteta says: 'We don't have a striker who scores 25 goals', then you have the answer. He knows it. The top teams need that in their team.”

Arsenal didn't just lose the title on the last day of the match, but only in the moments of the season when they narrowly missed out.

In the league there will be a Christmas period in which they picked up just one point from three games and the bitter home defeat to Aston Villa in April.

They also lacked killer instinct against Liverpool as they were eliminated in the FA Cup and quality as they were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

However he decides to take on the challenge of becoming the first English club to win four consecutive top-flight titles, Arteta knows he cannot shirk the task.

“I know what happened and that’s the level,” he said at the post-match media conference. “Nobody has to explain how high the standard is because I was there every day for four years and I know what we have to do if we want to achieve it.”

“But we are on the right path, on the right journey, and I have never seen development progress so quickly before. So we're on the right track and now we really have to grit our teeth and bite through it because we really want more.

Even Guardiola knows this isn't the last he'll hear from his former number two and his young Gunners.

“It used to be Liverpool that pushed us and now the last two seasons [it has been Arsenal]“said the Manchester City manager.

“Young manager, great talent. They signal to us that we have to be careful in the next few years.”