Pain. Mikel Arteta kept using the word over and over again. And it was easy to understand why. Arsenal had just beaten Everton 5-1 but they had been pipped to fourth place in the Premier League by bitter rivals Tottenham by just two points.
So, yeah, 'pain' pretty much covered how he, his players and the club's fans were feeling on May 22. Of course, what really hurt was that Arsenal had put themselves in an excellent position to secure a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2016.
After losing three games at the start of April, they reeled off four wins in a row, sparked by a dramatic 4-2 victory at Chelsea that typified the very best of Arteta's exciting young side.
Their worst traits, though, were evident at Tottenham on May 12, as they lost the game, and their discipline, in a 3-0 defeat. Four days later, they were beaten again, leaving Granit Xhaka questioning their character.
Those doubts over Arsenal's bottle remain going into the new season but there is an undeniable sense of optimism around the Emirates right now. The summer has gone better than expected, on and off the field.
So, could Arteta's team finally deliver on their potential? GOAL runs the rule over their 2022-23 Premier League prospects below...