Match Report – Player Ratings – Arteta reaction – video
The new season started yesterday with a familiar team line-up, a familiar goalscorer and some welcome familiar results, building on the results seen in the second half of last season.
What stood out to me was that there were players in the team who were not 100%. It’s hard to say whether it was because of the shortened pre-season or the extended summer, but I saw Declan Rice and William Saliba as two players who were definitely not at the level we expected. Gabriel Martinelli was back in action, but he still lacked the pass, shot or end product to open up opportunities for him again.
So how lucky we are to have two players like Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, whose influence is that they can still produce even when the circumstances are not perfect. Let’s talk about Saka for a moment. It’s been less than a month since he played in the Euro 2024 final and it seems like he’s regaining full fitness and sharpness like everyone else. But what a huge contribution he’s made.
His cross for Havertz’s opener was superb and the German got the finish he deserved. A powerful header that found the keeper where no one was. It gave us the lead we deserved in the first half and it probably should have been more. There were chances for a sharper team to create more, but this is only day one and there is clearly work to be done.
I thought we might have had a penalty in the first half. A poor tackle on Saka definitely knocked him off balance as he cut back inside the defender, but there was nothing there. Some of that rust was evident in the big first-half chance Wolves had. They lost the ball in midfield and Jorgen Strand Larsen headed it wide of Saliba. Fortunately, David Raya made a fantastic save, moving backwards as he went the other way to block.
In the second half, Wolves were much better, making life difficult for those above us and making life difficult for ourselves. Saliba made an unusually careless pass across the box, which gave Wolves a good chance to equalise, and once again Raya saved, but the effort on goal was unconvincing. If there is an ‘excuse’ for Saliba, it is that he is also deep in Euro 2024, and he has always been a man who takes a game or two to get up to speed.
There is no excuse for Thomas Partey to lose possession like that. He had all summer to prepare, and I understand he was out of form late last season after not playing for so long, but I don’t want to give him the benefit of the doubt right now. I think this position is where we have a problem right now. His legs are heavy, he can’t get away from his opponents anymore (and they certainly can), and Arteta has some serious work to do here. My suspicion is that with Mikel Merino (left out of the Real Sociedad squad for today’s game) joining, Rice will play as a No. 6 more often, with the Spain international further up in midfield.
I will admit I was a bit worried about Saka as the first half progressed. Looking at the bench, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard were good choices, but I wish they had someone else to play. With all due respect to Eddie and Rice, their arrivals would make a huge difference to this team. But in the meantime, we’ll have to settle for Saka’s incredible performances, consistency and quality (which is a tough job!). He took Havertz’s pass, cut between the defenders, past the keeper and fired at the near post, almost putting the game away safely.
The finish was great, but the ability for him to step up and score the goal we really needed, it was a day where he wasn’t 100% from the start and he was definitely weak before he took the shot, is really great. Goals and assists to start the new season, his numbers could be off the charts this year.
What else? Well, I think Wolves should have been down to 10 men. The act of Yesson Mosquera choking and beating Kai Havertz was completely deliberate and the very definition of violent conduct. I really don’t understand how the referees saw that and decided it wasn’t that. They probably set a very high bar for the rest of the season. Also, when Wolves were going for a free kick, Jesus was annoying, but Mosquera grabbing his bottom was very strange and you can’t blame a player for reacting that way. Of course, Jesus got a yellow card and the Wolves player was out of the book. For all the talk about referees and new rules and such before the season, it seems like not much has changed in terms of their incompetence at big moments.
Raya had to make another save at the end, Gabriel celebrated Arsenal’s goal-kick with typical enthusiasm and it was great to see Urien Timber officially back after suffering an injury on the opening day of last season. Afterwards, Mikel Arteta said:
We created a lot. We probably should have scored two or three goals and the game would have been a little different. In the second half, there were moments when we were a little sloppy and lacked control, and there were a few mistakes that were particularly difficult against this team.
It was the first game. There is always uncertainty about how to deal with a really tough opponent. We scored two goals, won without conceding a goal, and the job was done.
Clean sheets, three points, just what the doctor ordered to start the new season, but there is definitely room for improvement. It is not uncommon for it to take a while to find fluency and rhythm, especially after a summer of tournaments, but with the fixture list set, we need to get up to speed as quickly as possible. So we are expecting a busy week on the training ground as we prepare for the trip to Aston Villa next weekend, but having successfully cleared the first hurdle, we can go into the game with a positive mindset and hopefully be back on track next Saturday.
That’s it for this morning. Enjoy your Sunday, and join us tomorrow for the first Arsecast Extra of the new season.
