As we draw ever closer to the vital Premier League fixture against Liverpool, Mikel Arteta took a moment to commend the renewed sense of belonging all across the club.
In a short press conference ahead of the Liverpool match, the boss was asked by the media what was key to maintaining our momentum and connection.
"[We have to] keep giving our fans more reasons to be even more present and more supportive of the team. But at the moment, we cannot ask anything of them. The atmosphere they create every time we play for them is fantastic. We want to continue to have those moments together."
Arteta's appreciation of our current club-wide unity is heightened by his recognition of what needed to be done to renew that sense of togetherness.
"I think one of the things in terms of how you measure success - as well as lifting trophies - is needing to understand where we were."
"How we looked at the time and how it looks right now – it's a credit to everybody that has been involved in the last few seasons to achieve that," he added.
It's far from the final destination, however, and just as performances can continually improve, there's still plenty of room to grow together as a football club.
"I'm really happy. I'm proud, obviously of the change, the dynamics, the atmosphere and the belief around the club. But as we're looking ahead, to where we want to be and we are not there yet."
With eight league games played, we remain top of the Premier League and inevitable questions abound whether we can add to our trophy cabinet this season, but silverware isn't Arteta's mark of true success.
"If you win but you don't have that connection, is that really the meaning and the purpose of how you do things? For me, the answer is no."
"If you're able to win, we set an atmosphere and such a feeling of belonging and participation, I think it's much better."
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