Arsenal are enjoying an excellent start to the season – four points clear at the top of the Premier League after nine games – as they fight to lift the title after three successive second-place finishes.
But concerns remain about the atmosphere at Emirates Stadium.
Chants by some opposition supporters, which refer to the Emirates as a “library”, have highlighted what can be perceived as a lack of noise at the ground.
It is not an issue only affecting Arsenal, with a number of supporters from 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 why there may be a perceived drop in atmosphere at the Emirates, including a rise in expectations from fans.
However, Arsenal have not won the Premier League since 2004 and last lifted a trophy in 2020 when they won the FA Cup.
In the past couple of seasons manager Mikel Arteta has made a point of speaking about the importance of the fans in the stadium and wanting to “generate the best atmosphere in the world at the Emirates”.
Arteta regularly now delivers messages to supporters in his pre-match news conferences.
He has asked them to arrive early, and before the Crystal Palace match on Sunday he said he wanted supporters to “play the game with us” and “be in your seat with a certain behaviour, with a certain body language”.
So what are Arsenal doing to increase the noise?
