Arsenal begin Premier League title defence in ominous fashion
Kai Havertz opened the scoring for Arsenal against Coventry. Pic: Julian Finney/Getty Images
True to his word, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta kicked off the new season ‘attacking’ the Premier League title rather than what he deemed the negative approach of ‘defending’ the trophy he led his club to for the first time in 22 years in May.
Gone is the Arsenal that stuttered and fretted through matches last season. The handbrake is well and truly off already.
Pity poor Coventry for having to face such a quality, fired-up opposition for their first game back in the top flight for 25 years. Frank Lampard’s side looked bewildered at best as Arsenal eased through the gears as goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard started the new season in style.
The atmosphere was pretty special inside the Arsenal Stadium last season and went up a level as they won the title. Their jubilant fans, here in their many thousands since mid-afternoon for an 8pm kick off wanted to make the most of their first chance to see the champions and some new signings.
Coventry, the champions of the Championship, have also invested for their attempt to survive at this level. They will hope this is as hard as it gets for it could be embarrassing after the way Arsenal started.
The first Arsenal player to record a shot this season was sharp summer signing Christos Tzolis, cutting in from the left wing to fire narrowly over. The Greek winger, signed from Club Brugge to replace Leandro Trossard, has impressed in each of Arsenal’s pre-season matches, including last Sunday’s emphatic defeat of Manchester City in the Community Shield.
And he showed why he is keeping Gabriel Martinelli out of both the team and the squad when he then popped up unexpectedly on the opposite flank to set up Bukayo Saka with a great scoring chance.
Saka, along with fellow England World Cup team-mate Declan Rice, featured in a surprise couple of changes to Arteta’s starting-line-up.
With new £55m signing Aston Villa Ezri Konsa, yet another star of England’s World Cup run, taking to the pitch before kick-off to great applause, last season’s meanest defence took on an even more imposing aura.
Not that Arsenal had much defending to do after an early enthusiastic spurt from last season’s champions of the Championship. For the Champions of the Premier League, played with attacking freedom, they were rarely relaxed enough to show en route to the title.
Havertz shot them into a deserved lead after 15 minutes with a sublime side-foot shot from just inside the area after a gift of a pass from Riccardo Calafiori.
The message from Arteta was to keep pressing forward as he lived up to his pre-match message of wanting to attack the title rather than defend it. And Saka doubled Arsenal’s lead just eight minutes later.
Tzolis drove in a low cross from the left and Saka, seemingly free of last season’s Achilles injury issues, had an easy finish from six yards.
‘We are top of the league’ joked the Arsenal fans, who had set the right tone for a new season with a crackling atmosphere from long before kick-off.
Coventry struggled to cope with the elite Premier League passing and moving of the champions. Caleb Yirenkyi betrayed his and Coventry’s frustration when he was booked on his Premier League debut for a desperate foul on local hero Myles Lewis-Skelly.
‘I’d feel more comfortable if we got a third,’ former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told me in the press room at half-time.
No doubt the Invincibles central defender would have started to unwind a few minutes into the second half after Arsenal’s axis of attacking intent, Odegaard, Saka and Ben White sent out a reminder of their unique understanding. The right-sided trio passed their way into the Coventry penalty area, and captain Odegaard scuffed a shot past bewildered keeper Carl Rushworth.
The Coventry fans added to the carnival occasion by making the most of the opportunity to remind the north Londoners they are back at this level. If their team does not show the same level of ability and commitment, none of them are likely to be back here next season. A home match against fellow newly promoted side Hull City next weekend is probably just what they need.
With the match as good as won, Arteta was able to show off the remarkable quality and depth of his squad by bringing on Spanish World Cup winners Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino as well as England duo Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke. Ecuadorian star Piero Hincapie also got a run out. They still have William Saliba and Jurrien Timber to return from injury, as well as big summer signing Bruno Guimaraes, who also sat this one out with a knock. The aforementioned Brazil forward Martinelli did not even make the 19-man squad.
No wonder Arsenal are bookmakers’ favourites to retain the title, allowing Arteta the opportunity to become only the fourth manager to win it back-to-back in the 34 years since the competition was rebranded on its way to becoming the ‘best league in the world.’ Teams Arsenal: Raya 6, White7, Mosquera 6, Gabriel 6, Calafiori 6 (Hincapie 81), Odegaard 7 (Merino 76), Tzolis 8 (Eze 76) , Havertz 7, Rice 7 (Zubimendi 68), Lewis-Skelly 7, Saka 7 (Madueke 68). Subs: Kepa, Gyokeres, Madueke, Nwaneri, Dowman.
Coventry City: Rushworth 6, Dasilva 6, Thomas 6, Grimes 6, Yirenkyi 5 (Torp 62), Simms 5 (Awoniyi 70), Onyeka 6, Thomas-Asante 5 (Rudoni 70), Amenda 6, Tchaouna 6, Van Ewijk 6. Subs: Wilson, Sakamoto, Kitching, Latibeaudiere, Eccles, Hamer.
Ref: Thomas Bramall 6
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