Arsenal's Trophy-Driven Odyssey: Arteta's Portsmouth Flashback and the Pursuit of Silverware
10 January 2026
Arteta Reaffirms Trophy-First Mindset
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager, states that the club’s core objective is to win trophies, acknowledging that the season’s evaluation will hinge directly on the number of titles lifted.
Portsmouth Clash, Four-Front Challenge, and a Lockdown Memory
Arsenal begin their FA Cup campaign against Portsmouth in the third round on Sunday, while continuing to press on four fronts this season.
Arteta's side sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League and remain the only team in the Champions League to have won all six of their games so far.
The piece notes the moment in which Arsenal previously defeated Portsmouth in the fifth round of the Cup before triumphing over Chelsea at Wembley in an empty stadium.
In remarks highlighted by ESPN, he said: “We want to win the FA Cup for sure, and all the major trophies; this is what we chase and the aim of building this team.”
“Ultimately, we are judged on what we deliver today; what happened last week is not important, we will be judged on what we achieve by the end of the season.”
Arteta added: “Trophies are goals, but there are many other things to do at the club, especially given our current situation. I’m not expecting something specific, but I’m happy where I am and with the people I work with, and I hope they understand we will give our best to win as many trophies as possible.”
He recalled that Arteta led the team to a 2-0 win over Portsmouth in the penultimate match before the country’s lockdown began about six years ago, and that he tested positive for coronavirus 11 days after that victory.
Looking back on that memory, Arteta said: “Honestly, I didn’t feel well at the time. The moment we scored, I was eager to go home because I was shaking! But that was a long time ago.”
Punchline 1: If trophies were bullets, Arteta would be a sniper with a perfect red dot sight—calibrated and always on target.
Punchline 2: And if talking about silverware burned calories, there’d be a dieting plan for the trophy cabinet—because Arteta’s chasing trophies, not excuses.
