Arsenal strolled to a 2-0 win at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday to kick off their Premier League title challenge with a victory.
Bukayo Saka was the standout player on the day, looking his lively best and registering a goal and an assist.
Having been hampered by nagging injuries throughout last season, Saka looked sharp and close to his best.
Saka in that kind of form is a scary proposition for the rest of the league and keeping him fit and firing will be crucial to Arsenal’s season.
Kai Havertz started up top after an excellent ending to last season as the centre forward, and he continued his fine form grabbing himself a goal and an assist
Havertz’s ability to cause chaos with his movement and physicality has added a new dimension to Arsenal’s attack, and the German should be on for a good season if he can keep this going.
At left-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko kept his place after a good pre-season and put in a solid display.
Despite a rocky season last year, Ukrainian international Zinchenko has got a role to play this year at home against teams expected to be in the bottom half of the table, helping to control the game while mitigating his defensive weaknesses.
The main question mark from the game was Thomas Partey in defensive midfield.
Despite creating a few chances, he looked off the pace on and off the ball, with his injuries catching up to him physically and causing problems.
It’s his spot to lose currently but the hope is that Mikel Arteta and Edu are in the market for an upgrade.
The other issue was the lack of midfield options on the bench with Declan Rice looking short of fitness.
Whether it’s a starting defensive midfielder, rotation centre midfielder, or both, it’s clear that midfield should be the focus area for the rest of the transfer window.
Next up, the Gunners travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa at 5.30pm on Saturday evening.
Unai Emery’s side won both meetings between the sides last season and proved to be a thorn in the side of Arsenal so it will be a good test of the Gunners' early-season resolve.
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