Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has told JBI Training that his former club “can definitely use the disappointment of missing out on the title to go one further next season”.

As part of a wide-ranging chat, Parlour also discussed the key lessons that Mikel Arteta would have learned from last season and how he can implement them, and Arsenal’s minimum objective in the Champions League.

Read on for Parlour's take on Arsenal as the new season approaches

What lessons do you think Mikel Arteta would have learned from last season?

There were games last season which we didn’t see out. Liverpool was one of them. It wasn’t a terrible result getting a point at Anfield, Arsenal’s record at Anfield has been terrible recently, but to draw after being two up was disappointing.

The West Ham game was different. We were cruising in that game and if the third one goes in, its game over. To concede a stupid goal just before halftime gave West Ham a bit of belief. You could sense the buzz around the place that the goal gave West Ham. That was a massive two points dropped.

Drawing to Southampton at home was a poor result. There were certain games where you look back and think, we had to see that game out. Arteta will be looking at that and will want to rectify that next season. Sometimes you have to win ugly. I think there are a few things that this team can learn to get a result over the line.

Of course, everyone thinks of the teams that I was part of as playing beautiful football, but we could really mix it up if we had too. If we needed to kill a game off by trying to run the clock down or waste time, we did it. No one remembers how you win a trophy. It’s all about winning and I think that is something that Arsenal need to do a little bit better, especially when you get that lead. What impressed me last year was how quickly Arsenal came out of the traps. We really put teams on the back foot – an early goal can always knock the stuffing out of a team. Once you get in front, you have to know how to win the game.

Can the players use the disappointment of last season to spur them on and go one further this season by winning the title?

Arsenal can definitely use the disappointment of missing out on the title to go one further next season. There is a real excitement around the squad at the moment, not just from the players, but the fans too.

I know last season was disappointing – we had a great opportunity to win the title with the position we were in – but you have to hold your hand up and say that City are a fantastic team, and, in the end, they were probably a little bit too experienced in the run-in.

Arsenal will need to learn from their mistakes last year. I think they’ll be really up for a title challenge next season, especially if they can bring in Declan Rice and the players that have been linked. Arsenal need to believe in themselves. They need to believe that they can do it next season.

I think Arteta will get the team together in pre-season and they will assess what went wrong as a group. The players will have to learn from their mistakes otherwise they will get left behind in terms of challenging for the title.

We’ve got the youngest squad in the division. I’m really excited about watching this group over the next three or four years. They are only going to get better.

How far do you think Arsenal will progress in the Champions League and what is the minimum for them upon their return to the competition?

I’m really excited to see Arsenal back in the Champions League. I certainly believe that we’re good enough to get as far as the quarter-finals, I think that would have to be the minimum objective with the squad we have.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Arsenal manage the Champions League alongside the Premier League, how Arteta rotates his teams. He will need to find the right balance.

Arsenal will need a little bit of luck along the way if they want to win it.

I would love to see the club win the Premier League next season. That is the one trophy I would love to see the club lift, so hopefully they can go one better than last season.

Ray Parlour was speaking to JBI Training