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FRIDAY | AUG 21, 2026

Malaysian Paper

Perak’s Puteri Qaira Qistina Hairol Supfian in action in the Women’s Single Compound in the 2026 Selangor Sukma at the Inspen Stadium yesterday. Puteri Qaira Qistina defeated Sabah’s Catherine Looi Mei Qi Abdullah to win the gold medal. – BERNAMAPIC Young guns turn setbacks into gold

Zandvoort showdown

- Story on page 28

Mourinho’s Real mission

- Story on page 29 Gunners dynasty quest Arteta wants champions to become the ‘best club in the world’ as Arsenal target second successive Premier League crown and establish new era of dominance - Story on page 31

M IKEL ARTETA has warned Arsenal’s rivals that winning back the Premier League title is only the beginning, with the Gunners manager deter mined to build the club into the “best club in the world”. Arsenal begin their defence against promoted Coventry in tomorrow’s (3am Malaysian time) opening game, starting a League campaign as English football’s pre-eminent force for the first time in 22 years. Having finally ended the club’s long wait for the title last season, Arteta now wants Arsenal to turn their success into sustained dominance. The opportunity is there. Manchester City’s golden era could be over following Pep Guardiola’s departure at the end of last season, leaving Arsenal to potentially fill the void created by the Spaniard’s six Premier League titles. Arteta, who worked under Guardiola at City before taking charge of Arsenal in 2019, has no reservations about setting similarly lofty targets for his players. “It’s certainly the ambition of the club and the owners to be the best club in the world,” he told Sky Sports . “In order to do that, you need the best facilities, the best stadium, the best supporters, and you need the best squad and the best players in the world. “That’s what we try to build with the actual players that we have, and with the players that we want to sign to make the difference for Arsenal.” Arsenal have not won consecutive English titles since the 1930s, a feat that even Arsene

City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea all have questions to answer before they can establish themselves as genuine challengers to Arsenal. Enzo Maresca has replaced Guardiola at City, while former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has succeeded the sacked Arne Slot at Liverpool and Xabi Alonso has taken charge of Chelsea. City finished seven points behind Arsenal last season and looked some way off their rivals again in the Community Shield. Liverpool, who finished fifth, and Chelsea, who ended 10th, have plenty of ground to make up, while United’s third-place finish under Michael Carrick has been followed by a surprisingly quiet transfer window. For Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, however, the pressure is simple: having won the title once, they want to do it again. “This year we want more. We want to do it again in the League and then there are the other trophies,” he said. “We know what it took to win the League last year and we know how much work is ahead of us now. “We have to start again from zero, basically. Nobody cares that we won it last year. We have to show the same hunger, the same mentality and the same quality. “We have a lot of ambition in this team. We want to win everything we can, and that is the mentality we have to bring into every game.” For Arsenal, the challenge now is no longer proving they can win the Premier League. It is proving they can stay on top. – AFP/Agencies

Wenger’s celebrated “Invincibles” could not achieve despite going unbeaten throughout the 2003/04 league campaign. Arteta is using that history as motivation, while the pain of last season’s Champions League final defeat by Paris Saint-Germain on penalties has given his squad another reason to improve. “It’s very difficult. You have to raise the level from every angle,” he said. “When I look into the eyes of my players, I see that fire, that desire and the will to be better every single day. “They are not satisfied. They want more. They want to improve, and when you have that mentality in the squad, you have a chance to achieve great things. “But we know how difficult it is. The Premier League doesn’t give you anything. You have to earn every point, every victory and every trophy.” Winning the Champions League for the first time remains a major ambition, but domestic dominance is the immediate priority. Arsenal have already shown their appetite for more silverware, beating City 3-0 in Sunday’s Community Shield despite having just lifted the league trophy. The Gunners appear stronger than last season after adding Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle and Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. And Arteta’s rebuilding is not over. Arsenal are close to completing a deal for Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa and have also been linked with Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, suggesting the champions intend to strengthen rather than rest on their success.

PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEWS & PREDICTIONS

That could make Coventry’s return to the top flight particularly daunting. Frank Lampard’s side are back in the Premier League for the first time in 25 years and face arguably the toughest possible opening assignment, with Arsenal arriving after a commanding display against City. The challenge facing Coventry could soon be familiar to managers across the division. Man City vs Bournemouth (9pm) Newcastle vs Liverpool (11.30pm) TUESDAY (3am) Fulham vs Chelsea *All matches in Malaysian time TOMORROW Arsenal vs Coventry (3am) Hull vs Man United (7.30am) Everton vs C. Palace (10pm) Ipswich vs Sunderland (10pm) Nottm Forest vs Leeds (10pm) SUNDAY Brentford vs Tottenham (12.30am) Brighton vs Aston Villa (9pm)

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