It wasn’t the electric, blockbuster starter we may have wanted but it would be churlish not to be pleased with victory against Wolves in Saturday’s season-opener.
After fighting at the top end of the Premier League for two years in-a-row, teams approach Arsenal in an entirely new way now and there are scarcely any straightforward games left – so it proved against Wolves who, at times, posed problems for Mikel Arteta’s men.
But the win is what mattered on the day and a clean sheet was a bonus not to be sniffed at either.
It came as a bit of a surprise, at least to me, to see the manager start with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Thomas Partey. For all their unquestionable effort and commitment, both are players were should be looking beyond if we want to progress this season. I think/hope the manager knows this too.
Starting both, then, with the likes of Jurrien Timber, Ricardo Califiori and Jorginho on the bench was a head-scratcher. However, it’s worth noting that this season is a long one and there will be plenty of minutes to go around. Perhaps the manager simply plans on being wiser with his use of players this time around.
It was also a little surprising to see Gabriel Martinelli start out left, given that he lost his place to Leo Trossard in the latter half of last season. Perhaps more minute-management was at play and, ultimately, it didn’t matter but these selection choices even early in the season are interesting.
Partey continues to look leggy, despite a free summer, and Zinchenko comes with his usual caveats. I wonder how we’ll see the side line up next week when we travel for a particularly tricky encounter at Aston Villa.
As to the match itself, we were good in the first half; in control for large parts and creating opportunities. We weren’t at our scintillating best, it’s still early days after all, but we did plenty to cause the visitors problems. Sharper finishing in good positions might have seen our lead extended before the break.
Credit to them, in the early stages of the second half, Wolves responded well. They forced mistakes, pressured with intensity and built momentum through possession. The Gunners needed a little luck and some smart goalkeeping to ensure the lead remained in tact.
I felt Mikel was a little slower to force a momentum change than I might have liked but, with the introduction of Jurrien Timber, he was able to change the way the game was going and reassert some measure of control over the match.
The second goal killed things off nicely and the manager was afforded the luxury of some substitutions. Even Bukayo Saka was afforded some minutes off!
All things considered, it wasn’t a vintage performance but it was professional where it needed to be. We scored at good moments and, for the most part, were solid. As I’ve said, it’s still early in the season and there may yet be some comings and goings in the playing squad before we settle for the campaign.
Special mention to Kai Havertz, who has picked up seamlessly where he left off last season. It’s hard to say whether he is the long-term answer for Arsenal up front but, while he remains there, he applies himself superbly well. A goal early for him the campaign is great.
It scarcely seems worth mentioning Saka’s brilliance given it’s so common now but, a goal and an assist to kick off the league season – what a man, what a player. He is fast-becoming one of the greatest players this club has ever seen and his presence is central to everything we hope to achieve in future.
Blog on You Gunners 