Why Arsenal’s season is starting to look historic

March 12, 2026 Oliver Obel

Arsenal’s 2025–26 campaign is starting to raise a question that rarely appears in English football: could one team win everything?

The idea still sounds ambitious, but Arsenal have quietly placed themselves in contention across all four major competitions. As The Guardian reported, the club could be fewer than twenty matches away from completing a clean sweep of the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup something no English side has achieved before.

Even reaching this stage is notable. Arsenal have positioned themselves near the top of the Premier League and remain active in every major tournament entering the decisive stretch of the season.

A sudden shift in expectations

Arsenal’s emergence as a potential multi-trophy contender has surprised many observers.

The club has lifted only one domestic trophy since 2017, and in recent seasons the team was often criticized for falling short during decisive moments. That reputation makes their current position particularly striking.

Yet under manager Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have gradually built one of the most balanced squads in Europe. The team combines a strong defensive record with an increasingly controlled midfield and a tactical identity that has developed over several seasons.

Despite those results, discussion around Arsenal has frequently focused on perceived weaknesses. Much of the analysis has centred on their efficiency from set pieces particularly corner routines rather than the broader consistency of their performances.

A demanding schedule ahead

The final months of the season will ultimately determine whether Arsenal’s remarkable run becomes historic.

In the Premier League, the club still faces Everton, Bournemouth, Manchester City, Newcastle, Fulham, West Ham, Burnley and Crystal Palace. European ambitions continue with a Champions League tie against Bayer Leverkusen, followed by possible knockout rounds against other contenders.

Domestically, Arsenal must also navigate an FA Cup match against Southampton while preparing for a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.

Several of those fixtures appear manageable on paper, but the most decisive tests will likely come against City and in the closing stages of the cup competitions.

Experience versus opportunity

There are strong reasons why the quadruple remains unlikely.

Winning across four competitions requires both consistency and experience, and Arsenal have not yet established the kind of long-term trophy dominance seen at some rival clubs. Squad management will also become crucial as fixture congestion intensifies.

Manchester City remain another potential contender. Pep Guardiola’s side has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to compete on multiple fronts, and their squad depth gives them a realistic chance of matching Arsenal’s ambitions.

Why the quadruple feels more possible today

The structure of modern football may also make such achievements more plausible than in previous decades.

Financial inequality across European leagues has allowed a small group of elite clubs to accumulate deeper squads and maintain sustained success. In England, the Premier League’s financial power has helped its top teams regularly reach the latter stages of international competitions.

At the same time, instability at several major clubs including Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona shows how difficult it is to maintain a coherent long-term strategy.

Arteta’s long-term project

Arsenal’s rise has been built on continuity.

Arteta has managed the club for five years, allowing him to establish a consistent tactical system and a stable core of players. That level of patience has become increasingly rare at elite clubs, many of which change managers and strategies frequently.

Maintaining a clear identity amid the financial turbulence of modern football may be one of Arsenal’s biggest competitive advantages.

For now, the odds still suggest that a quadruple remains an extraordinary challenge. But Arsenal’s presence in that conversation reflects how dramatically the club’s trajectory has changed.

Sources: The Guardian