Arsenal: Martin Keown says the Gunners ‘attack like invincibles and defend like the class of 97-98’

The teams that lifted the Premier League title with them in 1998, 2002 and 2004 have something in common with Arteta’s current side – they have all suffered the pain of not winning something.

In 1998, we went six years without a title. In 2002, this came after we finished second behind Manchester United for three years in a row, and again before the ‘Invincibles’ season of 2004.

This team has finished runner-up three seasons in a row, which is a collective thing, and the energy that comes out of defeats, you get to the point where you get so angry and so motivated to try and win.

He mentioned to us that we were second as a group because we continued to finish second behind Manchester United.

This generates an inner feeling that “over my dead body, this will never happen again, and we will make sure we win this.” I can see all the similarities with this group.

The mentality changes when you see other teams winning titles and you’re vulnerable to everyone else winning titles, the one thing you don’t have is the same celebratory feeling that comes at the end of any success. Those first pictures, they haven’t arrived yet.

You won’t stop until that changes, until the awards start coming through the door.

It’s just kind of galvanizing and I see it all now. It’s as if a fight broke out, and there are three people present.

This is probably the wrong term to use, but you are never alone. Never look around and think, “I’m in trouble here.” There’s always someone to support you because they’re all from the same mindset, they’re all from the same mentality.

Two or three years ago, I thought we were back in the fight again. Arteta has had that Arsenal battle. It’s gone, the DNA is gone, and ever since Mikel came, he’s done a fantastic job of changing the culture.

I think there was an internal struggle for places which made everyone work harder to add to the mix.

Gabriel looks like a leader. Declan Rice looks like a leader. I think Gyokeres seems like a character. You want personality. You want personality.

I remember the dressing room under Wenger and the top of that group, there was a big aura around the group, there were a lot of leaders.

I can’t choose between Sol Campbell, Tony Adams, Lorraine or Lee Dixon. It’s like asking me to choose between brothers. All I can say is that each one of them was influenced by the other, and they all took that baton and that temperament and that behavior.

Some people, like Nwankwo [Kanu] He only spoke occasionally, but when he did, everyone listened because he was truly moving. I probably would have been more vocal than most. Everyone spoke. Everyone cared.