How is Arsenal trying to improve the atmosphere at Emirates Stadium?

Arsenal have enjoyed an excellent start to the season – four points clear at the top of the Premier League after nine games – as they battle to lift the title after three successive second-place finishes.

But concerns remain about the atmosphere at Emirates Stadium.

The chants of some opposition supporters, referring to the UAE as the “library”, highlighted what could be seen as a lack of noise on the ground.

It’s not an issue that just affects Arsenal, with a number of fans from the traditional Big Six clubs regularly posting on social media about how the lack of atmosphere at home matches can be disappointing.

For Arsenal, there are reasons behind the marked decline in atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium, including higher fan expectations.

However, Arsenal have not won the Premier League since 2004 and last lifted the trophy in 2020 when they won the FA Cup.

In the past two seasons, head coach Mikel Arteta has been keen to talk about the importance of fans in the stadium and his desire to “create the best atmosphere in the world at Emirates Stadium”.

Arteta now regularly delivers messages to fans in his pre-match press conferences.

He has asked them to arrive early, and before the Crystal Palace match on Sunday, he said he wanted fans to “play the game with us” and “be in their seats with a certain attitude, with a certain body language”.

So what are Arsenal doing to increase the hype?