Match report – Participant scores – Arteta response – Video
The brand new season started yesterday with a well-known wanting staff choice, acquainted goalscorers, and on the idea of what we noticed within the second half final season, a welcomingly acquainted consequence.
I feel what stood out for me is that there are some gamers within the staff who aren’t at 100%, whether or not that’s due to a truncated pre-season, or a protracted summer season, it’s exhausting to inform precisely, however I checked out Declan Rice and William Saliba as two guys whose performances had been actually not fairly on the stage we’ve come to anticipate from them. Gabriel Martinelli was energetic once more, however nonetheless lacking that finish product, that cross or shot that opens issues up for him once more.
What luck for us then that now we have a few gamers in Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka whose impression is such that even when issues round them aren’t good, they’ll nonetheless produce. Can we discuss Saka for only a second? It’s barely a month since he performed within the closing of Euro 2024, and I feel you possibly can see – like some others – he’s making his manner again to full health and sharpness. And but, what a contribution.
His cross for Havertz’s opener was simply excellent, and it bought the end it deserved from the German. A thumping header because the keeper got here and located himself in no-man’s land. That gave us a lead I feel we deserved within the first half, and it most likely ought to have been extra. There have been possibilities that I feel a sharper staff makes extra of, however that is simply the primary day and there’s clearly nonetheless work to be executed.
I assumed we would have had a primary half penalty too, a careless problem on Saka actually knocked him off steadiness as he reduce contained in the defender, however there was nothing doing there. A few of that rustiness was evident within the large first half likelihood Wolves had, shedding the ball in midfield and Jorgen Strand Larsen getting the flawed aspect of Saliba to energy a header at objective. Fortunately David Raya was there to make a implausible save, shifting again as he was going the opposite strategy to stick a hand out to cease it.
Within the second half, Wolves had been rather a lot higher, and made life tough for us on prime of us making life tough for ourselves. Saliba made an uncharacteristically careless cross throughout his field which introduced Wolves an important alternative to equalise, once more Raya saved however the effort on objective was unconvincing. If there may be an ‘excuse’ for Saliba, it’s that he too went deep into Euro 2024, and he’s all the time been the type of man who takes a sport or two to rise up to hurry.
There aren’t any excuses for Thomas Partey coughing up possession the best way he did. He had a full summer season to organize, and whereas I understood his lack of type on the finish of final season having been out for thus lengthy, I’m unwilling to provide him the advantage of the doubt now. I feel this place is one thing of an issue for us now, his legs are heavy, he can’t get away from opposition gamers any extra (and so they can actually get away from him), and Arteta has some severe pondering to do right here. My suspicion is that the arrival of Mikel Merino (left of out of the Actual Sociedad squad for his or her sport immediately), will see Rice play extra usually because the 6 with the Spanish worldwide additional forward within the midfield.
I’ll admit I used to be a bit fearful about Saka because the half went on. I appeared on the bench, and whereas Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard are good choices, I needed we had one thing else to name on. With all due respect to Eddie and Reiss, a signing would make a giant distinction to this squad. Within the meantime although, we’ll simply need to make do with the extraordinary output, consistency and high quality of Saka (what a chore!). Choosing up a cross from Havertz, he minimize contained in the defenders to drill a shot past the keeper on the close to put up, and that was all the time going to make the sport secure.
The end was excellent, however his means to step up and get us a objective we actually wanted, on a day once I assume he was not 100% to start with and positively flagging earlier than he cracked off that shot, is unimaginable. A objective and an help to kick off the brand new season, his numbers could possibly be off the charts this 12 months.
What else? Properly, I feel Wolves ought to have been right down to 10 males. Yerson Mosquera’s chokehold/slam on Kai Havertz was solely deliberate and the very definition of violent conduct. I actually don’t perceive how the officers checked out that and determined it wasn’t. I assume they’ve set a really excessive threshold for the season forward. Additionally, whereas Jesus was being annoying when Wolves had been making an attempt to take a free kick, Mosquera grabbing his arse was very bizarre and I don’t blame our man for reacting the best way he did. In fact Jesus was the one who bought a yellow card, whereas the Wolves man stayed out of the e book. I assume for all of the pre-season chat about officiating and new guidelines and so on, not a lot adjustments by way of their ineptitude in key moments.
Raya needed to make one other save late on, Gabriel celebrated Arsenal successful a objective kick with some typical gusto, and it was good to see Jurrien Timber make his official return after sustaining that damage on the opening day of final season. Afterwards, Mikel Arteta stated:
We generated rather a lot – we most likely ought to have scored two or three, and the sport would have been a bit completely different. Within the second half, there have been moments the place we turned a bit sloppy and never managed, particularly with some giveaways, which towards this staff is especially tough.
It was the primary sport – there’s all the time uncertainty round how we’re going to answer that towards a extremely tough opponent. We scored two, clear sheet, win, job executed.
Clear sheet, three factors, simply what the physician ordered to kick off the brand new season, however clearly there may be room for enchancment too. It’s not unusual, particularly after a match summer season, to take a little bit of time to seek out fluency and rhythm, however the fixture record is such that now we have to attempt to rise up to hurry as rapidly as doable. So, I anticipate a busy week on the coaching floor as we put together for our journey to Aston Villa subsequent weekend, however with that first hurdle efficiently cleared, we are able to do it in a optimistic way of thinking and hopefully we will be higher once more subsequent Saturday.
Proper, that’s it for this morning. Get pleasure from your Sunday, and be a part of us tomorrow for the primary Arsecast Additional of the brand new season.
