Arsene Wenger believes the Premier League's new balance of power could work in Arsenal's favour this season if the Gunners can show consistency and stability.
Entering his 21st season in England, Wenger acknowledges that more teams than ever can be considered title challengers after Leicester's shocking victory last season was followed by an arms race in the transfer window as Arsenal's traditional rivals try to climb back atop the summit.
But despite the huge outlay by teams like Manchester United and Manchester City, and a quartet of top managers to contend against in Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea's Antonio Conte, Wenger thinks there are a couple of factors that can help Arsenal going into the new campaign.
One, he said, is the fact that his team won't need time to adopt to a new manager's system, the way United, City and Chelsea will. Secondly, the increased strength of the mid-table teams means that no club should be able to run away with the title this season, Wenger said -- increasing Arsenal's chances of being in the race until the end.
So while some would say the large field of contenders will make this the most difficult Premier League ever to win, Wenger insists one can look at it from a different viewpoint as well.
"That can make it easier as well," the Frenchman said ahead of Sunday's league opener against Liverpool. "Everybody can drop points, and there can't be one team that just walks away and that nobody can catch. The hope will be alive in the Premier League for everybody maybe longer than ever. On that front, if you're consistent it can be easier."
Consistency has not always been Arsenal's strong point, though, as they seem to have a bad stretch of results which causes the title to fall out of their grasp each season. They were top of the table in January but then had a dismal run in February and March that made sure their league title drought dating back to 2004 continues.
The fact that they still finished second behind upstarts Leicester -- as the other usual top-four teams United, City and Chelsea had even bigger struggles -- was of little consolation. And those three teams all responded by bringing in new big-name managers this summer in the hope of a quick turnaround. But Wenger cautioned that such measures can take time to work.
"You don't know. For example, Guardiola has come in, he's a world-class manager, Mourinho has come in at Man United. Will that all click very quickly or will it take some time? We don't know," he said. "Sometimes it works marvellously very quickly, sometimes it takes time. I hope it will take time, and that we can take advantage of the fact that we have stability."
That stability comes from having the longest-serving manager in Europe and a team that has been kept largely intact for the past few seasons. The only major addition so far this summer has been Granit Xhaka, and the only newcomer last season was goalkeeper Petr Cech. Aside from a trio of outgoing midfielders whose contracts expired, no first-team player has been sold. That philosophy of not overhauling the squad by spending massive money in the transfer market is a sore point with many fans, who are desperate to see Arsenal keep up with the rich Manchester clubs. But Wenger's firm belief in consistency and loyalty shows no sign of budging.
"Despite all the money, I believe that a club is as well about identity," he said. "Identity is about values. And values have been carried through the generations through somebody [whether it's] the chairman, the manager, or some players who stay for a long period at the club. And I hope that will always be the case, it's not only about just spending the money or sacking the manager. Football has to be a bit bigger than that. I believe that the big clubs are as well about values and identity, and we have to be conscious that that is important as well."
That said, Wenger seems well aware of the fact that he might be the last of his kind, and that we may never see another manager spend 20 years at one club.
"The dinosaurs died at some stage, so ..." he said.