Mark Bosnich: Arsenal's chance to build five-year dynasty and what comes next for peerless Pep?

Ladies and gentlemen, THEY DID IT!

After a torturous 22-year wait, Arsenal were finally crowned Premier League champions this week after Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth away.

A massive congratulations to their fans, the directors, the owners, all the staff - but especially manager Mikel Arteta and his players.

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We all saw the scenes that went on around the world, including here in Sydney, and these are great moments that can never be taken away from anyone.

I was lucky enough to experience the thrill of winning the title and none of those involved will ever forget it.

So congratulations to the Gunners, they have definitely been the best team over the course of the season.

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Yes, there have been some stutters, and yes there have been some controversial moments, as there are in every season.

But at the end of the day, they're champions after 37 games, home and away, under all conditions, so congratulations to them.

And now, with that in their pocket, they can approach the Champions League final on May 31 (AEST) with wonderful optimism and fearlessness.

They're going in as underdogs and not a lot of people expect them to win.

Paris Saint-Germain beat them last year in the semi-finals but Arsenal did knock during the league phase last season - albeit without Ousmane Dembele.

They can approach the final with great calm and knowing that under the most trying circumstances in the Premier League, they came through it. So all the best to them.

PARTY AT CRYSTAL PALACE

Of course, the Premier League season is not done and Arsenal finish it with Crystal Palace away on Monday (AEST), which will be a celebration in itself.

With the trophy locked away it'll be interesting to see who Arteta plays a week before the final.

Anyone with niggles, he'll want to smell the room to sense who wants to play and who doesn't.

This has been their great strength, that they've had a true squad of players that have been ready, willing and able whenever they've been called upon.

But if there are people that he's thinking about starting in the final that have got niggles or he's worried about, he knows that he can rest them.

That is a luxury now.

HOW FAR CAN THE GUNNERS GO?

With that 22-year monkey off the back, it is scary to think about where this Arsenal side can now go.

Arteta has built this squad over many years and they are still relatively young.

So they have the opportunity now to turn this title into a bit of a dynasty in terms of domination.

Manchester City deserve a special word.

They were in a rebuilding phase this season and they weren't far off at all - but Pep Guardiola will not be there next season, so Arsenal will look at this as a huge opportunity.

Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is the hot favourite to take over from Pep.

The Italian was in charge of City's elite development squad in 2020-21 so he knows the style, he knows the system.

That's all well and good but he'll have different quirks with his man management style than Pep.

I think he will be successful but he's not at Pep's level. No-one is but he was highly successful with his time at Chelsea.

He won the Club World Cup, he won the Conference League, he got them fourth in the league.

But for Arsenal this is definitely an opportunity - for the next five years or more - to try and assume total dominance like they did at times in the Arsene Wenger era.

The talent is there but it usually comes down to motivation.

When you win something, there's always that feeling of great achievement - but for some teams that hunger gets lost somewhere.

The great teams stay hungry and so I hope for Arsenal's sake that remains.

Those celebrations and these days they're having, you want as many of them as possible in your career, they're absolutely unforgettable.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR PEP?

Pep Guardiola will step aside after City host Aston Villa on Monday (AEST).

I had an inkling of that at the start of the season and I'm sure the owners tried to convince him otherwise.

But I want to say a massive thank you to him, because he had a massive impact on the Premier League in so many ways.

The style of play, the way he's conducted himself, the legacy in terms of the people that worked under him who have gone on to be great managers. Vincent Kompany, Mikel Arteta, Enzo Maresca - the list goes on.

And some of the young players that he's brought through have played a pivotal role in England's resurgence since 2018.

Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Kyle Walker, John Stones - all this will be remembered and he will be greatly missed.

As for what comes next? After his time at Barcelona, he took a year's sabbatical before he went to Bayern Munich.

He might want to step up to international management. People are talking about him going for the Italian national team job and trying to restore them to their former glories.

He has conquered three of the biggest leagues so maybe he would like to try his hand in Italy or France.

I believe that international management is for somebody that's older and wiser who doesn't have to expend as much energy as the day to day grind at a club.

He's earned the right to have a bit of a rest and to sit down and reassess things.

He may just walk off into the sunset completely, we don't know. Pep is that type of guy who might do something completely unexpected.

Many have called him the greatest football manager ever and he's definitely up there with Carlo Ancelotti and Alex Ferguson.

To win 20 major trophies in 10 years in England is absolutely phenomenal - and that's on top of all his previous achievements.

Yes, he's had great players and big payrolls but you've still got to make it work and he is a genuine tactical genius. A true great.

UP THE VILLA!

I can't believe I've waited this long to mention Aston Villa!

I was in goal 30 years ago when they won their last major trophy and I am so happy that they have now won another. It is thanks largely to another great manager from Spain - Unai Emery - who now has an incredible five Europa League titles to his name.

That puts him in the pantheon with some elite coaches. Villa have done well in the league as well - they'll finish fourth or fifth - and that was a truly wonderful night in Istanbul.

Freiburg were outclassed 3-0 and hopefully this is a springboard for even greater success. They'll be playing in the Super Cup next year, at the start of the season against the winner of PSG vs Arsenal.

They'll be playing in the Champions League as well - but it was just so wonderful, such a relief, such a long time in between drinks.

Let's hope they don't get complacent and push on with this. I'm so happy for the supporters - I know they've been long suffering - and those celebrations, just like with Arsenal, were unforgettable.

I can't really explain in words how happy I was. Before the 30th anniversary of the League Cup title, we had a Zoom call to share some memories.

The manager Brian Little, the captain Andy Townsend and some great players like Alan Wright and Mark Draper were all there.

You could just sense another trophy was in the air and in the end, the final wasn't too nerve-wracking and I was able to soak it in.

MY SHOCK AT SOUTHAMPTON SPYING SCANDAL

The other big story this week was Southampton being booted out of the Premier League playoff game at Wembley for spying on their opponents.

I feel terribly sorry for their supporters and players. The English Football League laid down some harsh rules and they've punished them severely.

I thought they would fine them heavily and maybe deduct points for next season if they got promoted to the Premier League.

But now they're out of what's known as the most expensive game in the world. The EFL has really whacked them.

Spying is a more accepted thing outside of England, always has been. I'm sure it went on when I played, there were always suspicions.

But it's like a bear, right? You can watch all the moves a bear makes, but if he starts coming at you, it's a different thing to stop him.

Marcelo Bielsa got punished for the same thing at Leeds. He's from Argentina and basically said he had been doing it all his career.

In other countries, it's an accepted part of the game but not in England obviously. It was a shock.

My heart goes out to Southampton supporters and players.

CAN SPURS SURVIVE THE DROP?

Tottenham Hotspur need to win or draw against Everton to ensure that West Ham are relegated and they are not.

I think West Ham will beat Leeds but I also think Spurs will get a point or three and stay afloat. I don't think it'll be easy and Everton can still qualify for Europe depending on other results.

There will be a lot of nerves in north London but I think they'll be OK in the end.