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Home›Opinions›Are Arsenal at Their Boston Celtics Moment? The Final Push to Greatness

Are Arsenal at Their Boston Celtics Moment? The Final Push to Greatness

By Michael Price
March 13, 2025
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You know how sometimes you’re scrolling through social media, and something just clicks? That happened to me the other day. Someone compared Arsenal’s current trajectory to the Boston Celtics’ rise to NBA champions, and at first, I thought, alright, bit of a stretch. But the more I sat with it, the more it made sense.

start of it all. . .

The Celtics spent years building, developing, and looking the part—always in the conversation but never quite over the line. Then, in 2023-24, they made the right final moves, added exactly what they needed, and boom—NBA Champions.

Arsenal might be standing at that exact same reflection point.

They’ve done the hard work already. This is a club that, under Mikel Arteta, has gone from a broken squad in 2019 to one of the most complete and tactically intelligent teams in Europe. The process has been patient, methodical, and mostly brilliant. But something still separates us from being good and being champions.

That something is what we’re here to figure out.

The Path to a Title: How Arsenal and the Celtics Built a Contender

The Celtics were a good team long before they became a great one. For years, they had Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown—one of the best young duos in basketball—yet something was always missing. They would rack up wins, make deep playoff runs, but when it came to the final step, they lacked the extra dimension that championship teams have.

Sound familiar?

Arsenal, like Boston, has built their foundation the right way.

Mikel Arteta has taken a club that was in disarray and rebuilt it into a powerhouse. The defense is elite, the midfield is stacked with talent, and the attack is fluid and dynamic. Over the last two seasons, Arsenal have looked every bit like a team that could win the Premier League.

But like the Celtics before 2024, they’ve fallen just short.

Boston finally cracked the code with two game-changing moves: adding Kristaps Porziņģis, a versatile big man who unlocked new offensive options, and Jrue Holiday, a veteran defensive leader with championship experience.

That’s what separated them from almost to undeniable.

Now Arsenal must ask themselves the same question Boston did a year ago: what’s the missing piece?

What Arsenal Still Needs to Complete the Puzzle

Arsenal’s squad is on the cusp of something special, but much like the Celtics before their title run, they are lacking that final push.

One potential answer is a clinical, world-class striker. The team is stacked with creativity—Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli create chance after chance—but they don’t have the kind of forward who guarantees goals. A true finisher, someone who takes half-chances and buries them, could be the single most transformative addition.

Another area that could elevate them is a dominant, press-resistant midfielder to complement Declan Rice. Arsenal have control in games but sometimes struggle when pressed aggressively by top teams. A midfielder with elite ball retention and physical presence could make a huge difference in those moments.

The Celtics didn’t need a complete overhaul. They just needed one or two pieces to unlock everything else. Arsenal are in that exact same position.

Tactical Growth: Arsenal’s Next Evolution

Beyond personnel, Arsenal still has one final tactical evolution to make—turning control into ruthlessness.

This team dominates possession better than almost anyone in Europe, but there are games where they still struggle to turn that dominance into early, killer goals. They control the tempo, suffocate opponents defensively, and create openings—but in some games, especially against deep defensive blocks, they look like they’re banging their head against the wall.

That’s where the Celtics’ leap in 2024 is so relevant. They always had a strong defense, but once they became more efficient offensively, they became unstoppable. Arsenal need to find their version of that. Whether that’s through squad additions or tweaks to their attacking patterns, they have to become better at breaking stubborn teams down consistently.

The best teams don’t just control games—they kill them off.

The Moment of Truth: Arsenal’s 2024-25 Season Must Be Their Celtics Year

This summer is crucial.

Boston went through playoff heartbreak in 2023, saw what was missing, and fixed it immediately. They didn’t overthink it. They didn’t wait for things to magically improve. They acted decisively, and the result was a championship.

Arsenal need to do the same.

Arsenal have built a near-complete squad, but now they must be ruthless. No hesitation. No waiting for talent to develop. The time to push all the chips in is now.

That means:

  • Identifying exactly what’s missing (striker? Midfielder? Tactical tweaks?)
  • Moving aggressively to fix those gaps
  • Accepting that almost is no longer good enough

Because here’s the truth: this Arsenal team is too good to be remembered as nearly men.

They have all the pieces to dominate English and European football. Now, they just have to finish the job.

Final Thought: Will Arsenal Make Their “Jrue Holiday” Move?

The Celtics didn’t change their core—they just made the right additions.

Arsenal are in the exact same position.

One or two bold, decisive moves could transform them from contenders to Champions League and Premier League winners.

So the question is: will Arsenal recognize their missing piece and go for it?

Or will they hesitate, waiting for something that might never come?

We’ll know soon enough.

TagsArsenalArsenal 2024-25 SeasonArsenal Champions League hopesArsenal evolution under ArtetaArsenal FCArsenal finishing issuesArsenal game managementArsenal mentality shiftArsenal missing pieceArsenal next stepArsenal playing styleArsenal recruitment strategyArsenal squad buildingArsenal striker searchArsenal summer transfersArsenal tactical evolutionArsenal tacticsArsenal title challengeArsenal title contendersArsenal Transfer NewsArsenal vs CelticsArsenal vs Manchester CityArteta vs Guardiolabasketball tacticsBoston CelticsCeltics 2023-24 seasonCeltics NBA championsChampion's leagueFootball TacticsJrue Holiday Arsenal comparisonKristaps Porzingis Arsenal comparisonMikel ArtetaNBA and Premier League comparisonPremier Leaguesports analysis
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