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In the middle of a week in which media interest has been focused on one 36-year-old allrounder, it may be rather more valuable to consider the burgeoning career of a cricketer 16 years Andrew Flintoff’s junior

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford04-Jun-2014
ScorecardCraig Overton is come back fit and firing in 2014•Getty ImagesPolicemen seem younger, centre three-quarters are bulking up and seam bowlers are getting taller. Craig Overton has no particular interest in the first two statements but at 6ft 6ins he is an excellent illustration of the truth of the third. Except that Overton is rather more than a seamer.In the middle of a week in which media interest, nay, frenzy has been focused on one 36-year-old all-rounder, it may be rather more valuable to consider the burgeoning career of a cricketer 16 years Andrew Flintoff’s junior who has already played one-day cricket for England Lions and whose development this summer will be worth watching.Overton’s first-class season is developing an impressive head of steam. A five-wicket haul and an unbeaten 45 in the defeat of Durham at Taunton is the highlight but he followed that with three Warwickshire wickets in the rain-ruined game at Edgbaston and three more Lancashire scalps in the draw at Old Trafford.As the fourth day’s intermittent showers merged into what umpire Steve Garratt dubbed “proper Manchester rain”, thus causing the abandonment of play in early afternoon, Overton could find comfort in thoughts of the progress he’s made since he suffered a stress fracture of the back last year.”I was diagnosed at the end of April, had six or seven weeks off and then built it back up slowly from there,” he said. “I could have bowled at the end of last summer but we didn’t see much point in doing that, so I just concentrated on being ready for this season. In fact I didn’t start bowling till November.”Overton also spent the winter on the ECB’s Potential Emerging Players’ Programme which he already views as being vital for the development of his career. “My core wasn’t strong enough for my back and that was why I got the stress fracture,” he said. “We did a lot of training and the result was that both my core and back are stronger now.”The PEPP also brought Overton into contact with Glen Chapple, who was one of the coaches on the programme and a cricketer whose approach he clearly admires. “Glen came with us to South Africa at the end of the winter and he bowled at me a couple of times,” he said. “It’s always nice to see what he does as a bowler and pick his brains. At the end of his career he’s doing more work than most other people. He’s a hard-working guy and he’s got high standards, which I do, too, so it was very good to train with him.”A strong work ethic is something Craig Overton shares with his twin brother, Jamie. The pair learned much of their cricket at Instow, the glorious and spectacular home of North Devon CC, where the wind whipping in off the sea makes the Fremantle Doctor feel like a light zephyr.”It’s always fun to play for North Devon, but Jamie got the Sea End so I was generally bowling into the wind,” he said. “But I found that helps your discipline because if I could keep it tight we generally did alright. North Devon have over 60 friendlies each season, so growing up I was down at the ground pretty much every afternoon. But county matches came first and if we had a midweek game before one of those, I might not do as much in it.”County also comes first for Overton at the moment. Having joined Somerset’s academy at 16, he made his first-class debut in 2012 and is gradually establishing himself in the first team under the wise, tough, considerate leadership of Marcus Trescothick. He’s just played against some of the young players who brought the County Championship back to Old Trafford for the first time in 77 years and would just love to help Somerset win a first title in their history.If teams in the Divison One remain as evenly-balanced as they are in early June, this disarming Devonian and his twin may achieve that goal, thus delighting both partisans within the West Country and neutrals far beyond its unmarked borders.

Australia will tour India to play seven ODIs and a Twenty20 International in October and November

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2013Australia will tour India to play seven ODIs and a Twenty20 International in October and November. The limited-overs series will begin with the T20 in Rajkot on October 10 followed by the ODIs, which will all be day-night matches, the last of them to be played in Bangalore on November 2.The other matches will be at Pune, where the new stadium will make its ODI “debut”, Jaipur, Mohali, Ranchi, Cuttack and Nagpur.Australia had toured India for a four-Test series in March this year, which they lost 4-0. They last visited India for a seven-match ODI series in October-November 2009, when they won 4-2 with the last match washed out in Mumbai.Schedule for limited-overs series

T20I – October 10, Rajkot

1st ODI – October 13, Pune

2nd ODI – October 16, Jaipur

3rd ODI – October 19, Mohali

4th ODI – October 23, Ranchi

5th ODI – October 26, Cuttack

6th ODI – October 30, Nagpur

7th ODI – November 2, Bangalore

Australia’s last bilateral ODI series in India was a three-match series in October 2010, of which two were washed out and India won the only game in Visakhapatnam.Both the teams will be coming on the back of busy schedules during the summer. After the Ashes in England, Australia play a five-match ODI series till September 13. India, on the other hand, will have slightly more time as their ODI series against Zimbabwe ends on August 3.However, the Champions League T20 is scheduled for September 17 to October 6, leaving only a three-day gap between the final and the T20 scheduled on October 10.Australia will then host the other leg of the Ashes starting November 21 in Brisbane.

Dean Elgar, JP Duminy’s replacement in the South African squad, is counting on his ability adapt to strengthen his case for a spot in the Test XI

Firdose Moonda 16-Nov-2012Dean Elgar, JP Duminy’s replacement in the South African squad, is counting on his ability adapt to strengthen his case for a spot in the Test XI. Elgar arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday and has four days to settle in before the squad regroups on Sunday.It is thought that Elgar is unlikely to play because Faf du Plessis was already in the touring party and will probably be promoted, but Elgar’s selection indicates he is in the national selectors’ future plans. He was called a “like for like replacement” for Duminy by convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson because apart from being a frontline batsman, his left-arm spin is a useful part-time option.But there is dissimilarity too, because Elgar has played most of his cricket in the top order and if he were to come in for Duminy, he would have to bat in the lower-middle order. It will require him to play a slightly different role, one which Duminy noted provides less batting time but more freedom because “the bowlers tend to forget about you.”Elgar thinks it’s a position he will be able to fit into with ease. “I don’t think it will be a problem to adjust to the middle order, it’s just a bit of a mind-set change,” he said. “I see myself as a versatile, flexible player and I can bat in the top order or middle order, whatever the case may be. It’s one of my better assets.”During South Africa’s one-day series against England in August, Elgar batted at No. 4, No. 3, where he made his top-score of 42, and No. 7 as part of the floating line-up. Although he did not manage any milestones on the trip, Elgar believes the experience he gained from being around the team will stand him in good stead on this tour.”Being someone who is not as active in the side and then coming for the first time to a place Australia tour, which is a tough tour, could be quite difficult.” He said. “But luckily I have had a taste of some international cricket and that does help.” He has also toured Australia before with the South African Emerging side in 2008 and 2009.Elgar’s previous involvement also means he does not need the Gary Kirsten coaching method explained to him. He understands it as being based on a philosophy in which players are accountable for their own actions. “You can prepare like an adult, they don’t treat you like children. It’s an adult’s set-up and they trust you to do what you have to do before a game. They trust you to prepare the way you want to prepare for a game or for a net session. There is a lot more responsibility on you.”Those who have followed Elgar’s career may believe he will develop quicker in an environment like that, especially as his ability to lead is clear – he captained the Under-19s in the past – and his discipline has been obvious. They may also believe he is finally getting an opportunity in the format to which he appears best suited. When Elgar was making his name at the domestic level, it was in the longer version that he was most proficient. Elgar has played in the South African A side with great success over the last few years, most recently during his 177 against Sri Lanka A in June.Elgar, too, is pleased that he has been recognised in the longer format. “I love first-class cricket because that’s the finest, purest form of the game,” he said. “I also love my one-day cricket because it adds a different dimension to the game, but if you had to put the two on the table and say chose one, I would have to say the longer format.”His penchant for spending hours at the crease is something the circumstances may not allow for on this tour, but Elgar hopes it will remain a feature of his game. “I think you reach a point where you just want to keep on batting – ask guys like Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla. It’s just the enjoyment factor. You’ve got to look at the finer things and realise that the longer you bat, the more you are going to score and the better it is for your side. That’s something I have worked on in the past, especially in four-day cricket.”

Zafar Ansari, the Surrey allrounder who missed out on a maiden England tour due to a broken thumb sustained on the day he was called up, has undergone another minor operation on his thumb ahead of the new season

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2016Zafar Ansari, the Surrey allrounder who missed out on a maiden England tour due to a broken thumb sustained on the day he was called up, has undergone another minor operation on his thumb ahead of the new season.Ansari was included in England’s Test squad for the series against Pakistan in the UAE, but just a matter of hours after the news he badly damaged his thumb in the field against Lancashire. Given that Samit Patel, who was named as his replacement, played the final Test in Sharjah – and then toured South Africa – there is every likelihood that Ansari missed a Test debut.”This operation was designed to help with the healing process and is related to the bottom joint of his thumb – which had been damaged previously and exacerbated by the incident at Old Trafford – not the top one, which he suffered an open dislocation of,” Surrey said on their website.Meanwhile, they also announced that Jade Dernbach would miss the start of the season due a stress fracture of the back sustained while playing overseas. Dernbach had a spell playing T20 in New Zealand before returning for assessment on his back.”Jade has already started his rehabilitation programme and will undergo another scan in a fortnight’s time to further assess the healing process,” the club said. “Once it has been determined that the fracture has healed, Jade will begin a separate period of cricket rehabilitation with a view to being available later in the season.”Freddie van den Bergh, the left-arm spinner, is also on the injury list with a damaged thumb picked up playing club cricket in Australia and faces four to six weeks with the thumb splinted before further rehab ahead of a return to cricket.

Durham think so highly of Mark Stoneman that allowing him the time to find consistent form at the top of their batting line-up has always been considered worth the wait

Jon Culley at Chester-le-Street24-May-2013
ScorecardDurham have invested a lot of time in Mark Stoneman and the rewards a starting to arrive•Getty ImagesDurham think so highly of Mark Stoneman that allowing him the time to find consistent form at the top of their batting line-up has always been considered worth the wait, even though there have been long periods of frustration to endure since the elegant left-hander made his debut in 2007.He recorded his maiden first-class century in the same season, yet it took him four years to make his second and another 15 months had elapsed before his third. Several times he appeared to have made a breakthrough, only for another lean period to follow.This season, however, the signs are that he may at last have found a way to sustain his form. His place in the side firmly established following the retirement of Michael di Venuto, Stoneman has settled into probably the most productive sequence of scores he has enjoyed so far.In the last four matches, he has passed fifty five times, beginning with a century against Yorkshire, in a losing cause, before playing a key role in two successful run chases against Nottinghamshire and Surrey, making half-centuries in both innings in the latter of those games.His 50 in this match might have been the basis of something more substantial had he not been seemingly cut off in his prime by an lbw decision that surprised even the bowler, James Harris, who stifled his appeal in the belief that the ball was missing leg stump only for umpire George Sharp to raise his finger anyway. Stoneman did not make an issue of the dismissal, although having assumed he was not out he had to ask for confirmation before walking off.His was the only wicket to fall on a day restricted by bad weather to just 18 overs. Durham were the more frustrated team, having hoped that a 100-run lead overnight might be the platform from which they could have built an impregnable advantage and still have ample time to bowl out Middlesex for a second time.In the event, they added only 52, but with a vastly improved forecast for the final day, they will still hope to press home their advantage. It will require runs to come at a brisk tempo in the morning and for captain Paul Collingwood to make a shrewd declaration if Graham Onions and company are to have enough offers to inflict the necessary damage but Stoneman believes Collingwood will want to make a game of it, even against opponents who may turn out to be title rivals.”Ultimately you have to look at how many points you can get for yourself and not worry too much about what the opposition might be getting,” he said. “If you win as many games as you can against all-comers then by the end of the year you will be in the right position, hopefully.”

Ray Jennings, the coach who took South Africa Under-19s to victory in the World Cup, will be out of a job from next week

Firdose Moonda23-Apr-2014Ray Jennings, the coach who took South Africa’s Under-19 squad to victory in the World Cup in the UAE last month, will be out of a job from next week. Jennings applied for a position within CSA’s development structures but was overlooked in favour of Lawrence Mahatlane, the former assistant coach of the Lions franchise. Shukri Conrad, who was in charge of both the Cobras and Lions, has been appointed national academy head coach.”I am bitterly disappointed,” Jennings told ESPNcricinfo. “But if the system doesn’t want you, then it doesn’t want you. It’s upsetting that it was left so late to let me know.” Interviews were conducted over the last three weeks but Jennings was only informed of the decision today.With just a week left until he will be out of contract Jennings admitted he is concerned about his future. “I’ll have to sit down and think properly about it,” he said while also mooting the possibility that he need to look beyond South Africa’s borders for employment. “But all these things take time.”Jennings had a hint that his services would no longer be required when he returned triuphant from the U-19 World Cup in March. Then, it was announced the role of U-19 coach would cease to exist its current form when Jennings’ contract expired at the end of April and would be split into two positions.CSA have since announced the position of U-19 head coach still exists, which was the job Jennings applied for. Mahatlane has been assigned to the role. Mahatlane obtained a Level Four coaching certificate in 2008 and was at the helm when the Gauteng Strikers, the provincial side who play at the tier below franchise level, won the three-day competition in the 2006-07 season and the one-day competition in 2007-08. He stopped coaching in 2011 but has worked as a cricket and rugby radio commentator for the public broadcaster, the SABC.The second post focuses on the national academy which will also involve running the academy from May to September standardising all the provincial academies. Conrad has been given this job. Conrad won the one-day competition with the Gauteng team in the 2003-04 season before the franchise system was introduced. He was then in charge of the Cobras for five years in which time he won the all three trophies on offer in separate seasons: the one-day cup (2006-07), the 20-over tournament (2008-09) and the first-class competition (2009-10). In 2011 he worked with the Ugandan national side and has since appeared on television commentary.The pair will look to fill the continuity gap left by Jennings, who has been in charge of South Africa’s U-19 side since 2006. Jennings has taken the side to five World Cups and he remembered that in that time, the various teams he has led have only lost four matches. He has also coached at provincial level, having been in charge of domestic teams Easterns and Gauteng and at international level with the South African A side and South Africa’s national side between 2004 and 2006.This is the second job Jennings has lost this year. In January, he was axed from the Royal Challengers Bangalore when they unveiled Daniel Vettori was their new head coach.

England will ponder a shuffle of their Test match batting order before the return Ashes encounter begins in Brisbane

Daniel Brettig in Hobart05-Nov-20130:00

England’s order in state of flux

England will ponder a shuffle of their Test match batting order before the return Ashes encounter begins in Brisbane, after their captain Alastair Cook admitted his team could not afford a repeat of the early stumbles that pockmarked a 3-0 series victory at home earlier this year.Australia’s pacemen were consistently able to perforate the England top order, pushing the Man of the Series Ian Bell to great heights as he continually bailed out the earlier batsmen in a manner reminiscent of a prime Michael Clarke.Following on from this amid his flurry of invective at Ricky Ponting and Cook, Shane Warne had reckoned earlier this week that keeping the young batsman Joe Root at the top of the order may “crucify” a promising young player, suggesting instead that the taller, older left-hander Michael Carberry might be a better partner for England’s captain in Australia.Before training at Bellerive Oval, Cook not only batted away Warne’s criticisms of his captaincy but also left open the possibility that such changes might just be made. In a typically careful discussion of his team, Cook lauded Root’s adaptability while also saying the doubt surrounding two batting places had created a healthy sense of tension and competition in an otherwise settled squad. He then closed by stating gravely that the early innings misadventures of July and August could not be repeated.”Joe is a fantastic player. I think anyone who saw his 180 at Lord’s and his hundred against New Zealand can see the class he has got,” Cook said. “He has been outstanding in all forms of the game and being able to bat in any situation is one of his greatest strengths. Whether he’s batting at six against New Zealand or heads up the rate in the one-day game, I don’t think I have seen a younger player adapt to a situation as well as he does as quickly as he does. He’s a pretty unflappable guy.Michael Carberry would be the major beneficiary if England changed their batting order for the Gabba•Getty Images”We haven’t decided on our batting line-up. It’s very different to 2010-11 where we came here very clear what our full strength side was and on that tour we played the first two warm-up games as that Test match XI. In this situation circumstances are different. We are unsure of pretty much two places and it’s exciting because everyone in the squad knows that and watching that competition grow, if someone grabs that opportunity he is going to find himself in a good place.”Should Carberry slip into the top six, and so leave Root free to move down the order, it would represent a change to England’s apparent plans on their departure for Australia. The assembly of a squad with a trio of potential middle-order players in Jonny Bairstow, Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes illustrated where the team director Andy Flower’s major doubts had existed. Nonetheless, Root’s adaptability and temperament are highly valued, while at 33 Carberry has been chosen less as a future investment than a readymade top-order option after the fashion of Chris Rogers for Australia.Either way, Cook is adamant that England’s batsmen cannot be anywhere near as courteous to Australia’s new-ball bowlers this time around. The window for wickets provided by the new ball is narrower down under, as the Kookaburra loses its shine and ability to bend rather quicker than the Dukes in England, making early incisions even more critical than they had been in the northern summer.”Especially with the Kookaburra ball it’s a situation we can’t allow to happen again,” Cook said. “Sometimes in England with overhead conditions that does happen. In Australia the bigger scores do happen and we know that is an area of major improvement we needed to do coming into the series.”

Murray Goodwin registered his fourth century of the season as Glamorgan scored 409 runs on day two match against Leicestershire

22-Aug-2013
ScorecardMurray Goodwin turned a tricky start into a huge lead for Glamorgan•Getty ImagesMurray Goodwin registered his fourth century of the season as Glamorgan scored 409 runs on day two of their LV= County Championship Division Two match against Leicestershire at Swansea to take control of the contest.The 40-year-old, who reached 1,000 first-class runs for the season in the process of scoring 176, shared in significant partnerships with Jim Allenby (76) and Mark Wallace (86). It helped Glamorgan to 445 for 7 by the close, a first innings lead of 242.Goodwin had come to the wicket nine balls into the Glamorgan innings in difficult conditions on day one and had reached 12 not out from 36 for 3 by the close. But on the second morning Goodwin and Chris Cooke were welcomed by sunshine and better batting conditions as they resumed 167 behind Leicestershire’s 203 all out.In the first hour the fourth wicket had realised 47 runs before Cooke edged an attempted cut behind off Ben Raine. But the runs kept on coming either side of lunch through Allenby – who required 59 runs to become Glamorgan’s first batsman to 1,000 runs in first-class cricket this season – and Goodwin, who went to his 50 with his eighth boundary from 135 balls.Former Leicestershire player Allenby lofted James Sykes for a straight six before clipping Alex Wyatt for four through midwicket, before Goodwin swept the spinner for two fours as Glamorgan reached tea at 153 for 4. After the interval Allenby completed his half-century from 77 balls and then reached 1,000 runs for the season as the 200 came up.But after giving Glamorgan the lead the fifth wicket pair’s contribution of 140 in 35 overs ended when Allenby edged behind.Goodwin’s vigil continued as he went to three figures – his fourth of the season and 71st of his career – from 218 balls with 14 fours as Glamorgan reached 307 for 5 at tea, an overall lead of 104.Despite Leicestershire taking the second new ball the Glamorgan runs kept on coming as Goodwin and Wallace put on 189 in 39.2 overs before both batsmen were dismissed in the space of five ballsGoodwin edged Raine behind, going for 86 from 113 balls, before Goodwin was bowled attempting to sweep James Sykes. The former Sussex man went for 178 from 316 balls with 29 fours in an innings that lasted exactly 400 minutes. Before the close Graham Wagg struck two sixes off Sykes.

Phil Parkinson has claimed that the international call-ups for James McClean and Jacob Mendy demonstrate Wrexham's "profile" is "different level".

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McClean called up IrelandMendy made it to the Gambia bench against BurundiParkinson thrilled with international call-upsWHAT HAPPENED?

Wrexham will miss the services of Mendy and McClean against Accrington Stanley in League Two as the players have been called up by Gambia and the Republic of Ireland, respectively. While McClean was set to retire from international football against New Zealand on November 21, injuries to Will Smallbone and Festy Ebosele forced manager Stephen Kenny to call him up for the weekend's Euro 2024 qualifier against the Netherlands as well.

The international call-ups have been well welcomed by Parkinson as, despite losing key players, he believes they reinstate the quality his side have despite plying their trade in League Two.

AdvertisementWHAT PARKINSON SAID

Speaking to he said: "It just shows that playing for Wrexham you're getting recognition, irrespective of being in League Two. The profile of the club, it's kind of a different level for a normal League Two club because of the reasons that everybody knows."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Mendy was an unused substitute during Gambia's 3-2 loss to Burundi, but Parkinson hopes that he will get some minutes in the next match against Ivory Coast on Sunday to prove his mettle on the international stage.

"The Gambian manager has been monitoring him, closely," Parkinson said. "There's other players in his position and he's got competition as you'd expect. But he's done well to get in there. Obviously, he wants to have some minutes to show what he can do. I'd like to see him get some game time and not have a trip where he goes there and is just a squad player. Obviously we've got a lot of belief in Jacob and we think he's a really good player."

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Parkinson will have to trust his squad depth against Accrington on Saturday as McClean and Mendy are away with their respective national teams. On the other hand, McClean will be itching to get a run against the Dutch on Saturday. It could end up being his final competitive match for Ireland before calling curtains on his international career against the Kiwis next Tuesday.

The Gunners are spending big to try and close the gap on Manchester City – and there will be no hiding place if they fail

Arsenal were the surprise package of the 2022-23 season, there's no doubt about that. Mikel Arteta could only deliver a fifth-place finish the previous year, and no one expected them to go on and challenge for the Premier League title.

But after their best-ever start to a top-flight campaign, the Gunners got themselves into a great position to dethrone Manchester City, only to choke when it really mattered. After beating Leeds 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium on April 1, Arteta's side were sat eight points clear at the summit – albeit having played a game more than the champions. But they followed that result up with three successive draws, before being hammered by City away from home, and their dreams went up in smoke. Arsenal spent 248 days at the top of the table before their collapse – the most of any side in Premier League history to fail to lift the trophy.

“To this day, it still hurts me deeply, not having won the Premier League after spending 10 months fighting with City,” Arteta said in an interview with Spanish outlet in June. “But that’s the sport. That said, what has been achieved with such a young team is worthwhile. That is clear to me too.”

The Spanish head coach is right to try and focus on the positives. Arsenal have come a long way in a short space of time and the future looks bright. But another trophyless season won't be acceptable next term, especially after the way the club have gone about their business in the summer transfer window so far.

(C)GettyImagesThe holy trinity

Arsenal have moved quickly to strengthen their squad, starting with the addition of Germany forward Kai Havertz. Chelsea sanctioned the 24-year-old's sale to their London rivals for £65m ($82m), posting a small loss on their initial £72m ($91m) investment in his talents three years earlier.

In truth, the Blues did very well to get such a handsome fee for Havertz, who largely flattered to deceive during his time at Stamford Bridge. He scored memorable winning goals in the 2021 Champions League and 2022 Club World Cup finals, but never really delivered on a consistent basis.

Arteta is confident that he's signed a diamond, though. “Kai is a player of top quality,” he said after the deal with Chelsea was confirmed. “He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play."

Havertz will likely slot in on the left of Arsenal's midfield three, as a replacement for the outgoing Granit Xhaka, and it's almost a certainty that he will have Declan Rice playing next to him, with the West Ham star sealing a British-record £105m ($133m) move to the Emirates. It has been reported that Thomas Partey will also be leaving Arsenal this summer, meaning Rice will slot straight into the heart of Arteta's line up.

Forking out a nine-figure sum for a defensive midfielder that has yet to play at the highest level of the club game is a risk. It remains to be seen whether Rice will be a transformative addition to Arteta's ranks, but it should at least be an easy transition to north London for him given the presence of his England team-mates Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and Emile Smith Rowe.

Arsenal took their summer outlay past the £200m ($253m) mark with the acquisition of Ajax defender Jurrien Timber in a £40m ($51m) switch. It's not immediately clear where Arteta will look to deploy the Dutchman, though.

Timber is unlikely to dislodge William Saliba in the heart of the Gunners' backline, but he is also versatile enough to slot in at right-back, perhaps ahead of both White and Takehiro Tomiyasu. For the money that Arsenal are spending on the 22-year-old, it would be a waste if he were to just take up a back-up role.

The Gunners are banking on all three players becoming vital cogs in Arteta's system. And if any of them fall short of expectations, the Spanish tactician will face some uncomfortable questions.

AdvertisementGettyTitle race experience

"When we had the full team, we were consistent," Arteta added to when discussing Arsenal's failed title bid. "As soon as problems came, we couldn't be consistent. And then our rival was the best team in the world; the best squad in the world; the best coach in the world… We had no choice but to accept it and shake hands with the champion."

It's true that Arsenal had bad luck with injuries. Saliba sustained a season-ending back issue in March, and Rob Holding couldn't match the Frenchman's high standards after coming in to fill his position. Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Tomiyasu and Elneny also missed large portions of the season as the Gunners' squad depth was tested to the limit. An overall lack of experience in the dressing room was a limiting factor, too.

Arteta attempted to instil a winning mentality by signing Jesus and Zinchenko last summer, having worked with the pair during his time as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City. They made a huge impact initially, but couldn't carry Arsenal over the finishing line.

The likes of Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Partey, Xhaka and Gabriel Magalhaes all allowed their levels to dip down the final straight, most notably during the Gunners' 4-1 loss to City at the Etihad Stadium. They weren't ready for the rigorous demands of an end-of-season title run-in.

But they should be next time. Arsenal's younger players could end up being far stronger after experiencing the heartbreak that comes after giving so much for no reward. “Time is on our side. You can look at our team and a lot of the players are young," Saka said in a sit-down with Gunners legend Ian Wright at the end of May. "We’re hungry, and a lot of us haven’t won trophies at Arsenal so we want to achieve big things. If you watch the way we all speak, we want to win and we want to win here."

Getty ImagesNo more Thursday nights

Arsenal's rise to the top of the Premier League was made all the more remarkable by the fact they were competing in the Europa League until mid-March. This meant that they only had two full days to recover for Premier League games after their European exertions on Thursdays.

Arteta's side coped with the rigorous fixture schedule admirably in the first half of the season, but they were beginning to run out of steam physically by the time they faced Sporting CP in the last 16. The Gunners earned a hard-fought 2-2 draw in the first leg of the tie at the José Alvalade Stadium, but couldn't finish the job at the Emirates.

The two teams were locked level at 1-1 after 120 minutes of the second leg, and penalties were needed to decide who made it through to the quarter-finals. Sporting held their nerve to win the shootout 5-3, and Arsenal looked absolutely shattered to a man by the time it was all over, and the wheels then inevitably came off for the Gunners in the Premier League over the next few weeks. Juggling European and domestic commitments eventually took its toll.

Arsenal will face a similar task in 2023-24 when they return to the Champions League after a six-year absence, but the turnaround between matches will be easier to manage. Europe's elite competition is staged on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, which will give the Gunners plenty of time to regroup for their bread-and-butter duties in the English top flight.

Ramsdale is among those relishing the opportunity to test himself against the best. "We want to go and fight properly in the Champions League next season and every passing year is an experience for us to get better.” the Arsenal goalkeeper recently told . "A new pressure will now come."

How the Gunners handle that pressure will dictate whether or not they reach a higher level as a collective in 2023-24.

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Getty ImagesKey men staying put

Arsenal have taken all the necessary steps to ensure that the core of their current squad remains intact for years to come. Gabriel was first to commit his long-term future to the club last October, as he signed an extension that will keep him in north London until 2027. Martinelli agreed to the same extension in February, while Ramsdale accepted a three-year renewal in May, shortly before Saka also signed a new four-year deal. Tying down Saliba is the next priority for Arsenal, with the France international's current contract due to expire in 2024. Saliba has already agreed to remain at the club for an extra three years, and an official announcement is due before the start of pre-season.

Current Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is also reportedly set for talks over a new deal. The Norwegian is under contract until 2025 as it stands, and the Gunners have a one-year extension option, but they are eager to secure his services through to 2030. And Odegaard is certainly buying into Arteta's long-term vision.

"There are no limits on what we can achieve. No one can tell me otherwise," he told the at the start of the year. “I’m so proud to be captain of this club and I feel like I’m going to be here a long time.”

Arteta has done everything within his power to limit the risk of any potential suitors luring away his best players, and he will continue to do so. Continuity in terms of personnel will be crucial if Arsenal are to build on the foundations they put down in 2022-23.

But the Gunners' faith in these players will only be properly justified if the silverware begins to roll in over the next few years. The long-term contracts will be scrutinized in great detail if the likes of Saka and Gabriel go missing when it really matters again.