It is a well-known fact that dogs learn through repetition.
Especially their names. Call it again and again and soon your smart dog will be your faithful friend who performs tricks for treats.
So think about Arsenal's poor chocolate labrador.
Boss Mikel Arteta came up with the idea of having man's best friend live on the club's training ground to give the place a family atmosphere. And she was named 'Win'.
That's not a word heard as often as it should be in London Colney today. At least not when it comes to crossing the line and winning a trophy.
A crushing home defeat to Newcastle in the first leg of last night's Carabao Cup semi-final leaves Arteta licking his wounds after blowing a big chance of silverware.
Win will lick other body parts as usual.
The concept of having a dog on a Premier League training ground is a positive one, even if the name choice is so North London and cringey.
And there is no doubt that Arteta has injected new energy into Arsenal in the five years since he took over as manager in December 2019.
But Tuesday's inglorious filling feels like a barometer moment in the Spaniard's time at the club. And the pressure is increasing.
As if to get the message across in terms that Win would understand, Arsenal have let their lead slip five times this season: twice against Brighton, but more importantly against their main rivals Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. Boom boom.
All those matches ended in a draw, losing crucial points in the title race.
Arteta won the FA Cup at the end of his first half of the season and breathed life into a flatlining football giant in December 2019 when he took over from the uninspiring Unai Emery.
The 2020 FA Cup final victory over Chelsea should have been the catalyst for even more trophies.
But since then there has been nothing tangible to celebrate. No open-top bus parade through the London district of Islington, where skipper Martin Odegaard can show off a shiny cup.
Since winning the FA Cup four and a half years ago, even car crash Manchester United has gained something. And they are considered a laughing stock as they now mock their third manager since Arteta took over at the Emirates with a mission to make Arsenal great again.
Ironically, Manchester United defeated Newcastle in the 2023 Carabao Cup final.
The Geordies are known as serial chokers. Seven losers in the FA Cup final, twice in the League Cup and even five away in the old Charity Shield. Without a major domestic trophy in 70 years.
Just because she succumbs so weakly to the Toon at home doesn't mean Arteta's time is up. Quite the contrary, even if social media tells a different story, with the notoriously fickle Gooners jumping on their keyboards over their chai lattes to make sure 'Arteta Out' is trending.
His win rate of 59.2 percent is superior to that of his immediate predecessor Unai Emery and surprisingly better than that of Arsène Wenger – the man who laid the foundations for modern Arsenal.
The French legend won 57.3% of his 1235 matches. But Arteta has only had 262 so far, which makes it slightly easier to maintain a higher number of wins.
Wenger also won the Premier League in his second season, snatching the trophy from the best Manchester United team of all time led by the most successful British manager in history in Alex Ferguson.
Arteta has enjoyed three full seasons of goodwill as he attempts a similar attack on football's Mount Everest, overtaking imperious four-in-a-row champions Manchester City.
That's a big ask and the club and fans have been patient so far. It's too early to panic, but there is a growing fear that Arsenal have reached a ceiling unless bold moves are made.
Their arch tormentor Alexander Isak, who was the opening scorer against them last night, has a transfer target of £150 million.
Former players like Paul Merson are demanding quick action from the board to sign the Swede and provide Arteta with the special number nine they seem to covet.
Kai Havertz is just three goals behind Isak this season, but will never be the consistent central striker they sorely miss. Neither does Gabriel Jesus.
Remarkably, Arteta has overseen a net spend of £483.79 million in more than five years, but he is yet to find a player like Isak who can lead the forward line with such venom.
Wenger also got away without a mule for a long time, but then he had Thierry Henry and few players compared favorably to the masterful Frenchman.
There is no shame in having finished second in the Premier League twice in a row, behind the imperious Man City.
But the dominant force in English football suddenly seems fallible, so there is no excuse for failure.
Quarter-finals of the Champions League last season, the last 16 of the Europa League the year before. Gallant defeats, but defeats nonetheless.
The title race looks beyond them this season. Third time in a row.
Arteta is a smart, young, energetic coach with a long managerial career at the age of 42.
And if he takes Arsenal to St.James' Park next month and turns Newcastle in a stunning second-leg comeback to reach Wembley, ignore all of the above.
But for now, time is not on his side as the clock continues to tick and Arsenal's near misses pile up.
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