Arsenal start the season at Emirates.
On a bright and sunny afternoon in London, the season of hope at Arsenal kicked off at Emirates. The team, which has rather brilliantly pushed the monstrous Manchester City right to the finish line, will want this year to be the tipping point.
As the players lined up, the lineup looked familiar. With very little activity in the transfer market, the squad was all of familiar faces. The only newcomer, Riccardo Calafiori, was also the only new face in the squad. Thomas Partey started in a three-man midfield, while Havertz went center forward , and Martinelli was preferred over Trossard. Zinchenko hung on to his place over a number of possible challengers, and the now-full-Gunner David Raya manned the goal.
Wolves with Gary O’Neill at the helm have a rather young team, many of them rather unknown and inexperienced. A lot of money incoming meant they parted with Pedro Neto, their attacking spearhead, and their captain, the experienced Maximilian Kilman. Against an Arsenal that looked solid and well-rounded, Wolves were always going to be the underdogs.
Arsenal start slow.
The fast, blistering starts that were a hallmark of the Gunners last year was missing as they got off the blocks on a trot. They just probed along the flanks, with Partey bringing up the ball and Odegaard the focal point up ahead. Wolves, on their part, stayed back and looked to defend. Arsenal looked the classier team as they ran at the defense and created chances.
Bukayo Saka kept the right flank busy as he darted in and out with the Wolves defenders tagging along. Saka played the assist that got the Gunners away. 25 minutes into the game, he swung in a wicked floated ball into the box. Havertz squeezed in through a tangle of bodies and headed past Jose Sa in the Wolves goal. The goal that always seemed coming, had arrived. There should have been a few more in the first half as Havertz fluffed an easy chance and both Martinelli and Rice had a go at goal but could get it into the net. David Raya pulled off a great save to keep the Norwegian Jorgen Strand Larsen’s header away.
Wolves fight back as Arsenal lose focus.
The second half saw the Wolves perking up as they showed more intent, both in retaining the ball and in moving forward.
Rayan At-Nouri edged edged bit higher the field and looked to put some passes and moves together, with the likes of Cunha and Rodrigo Gomes running into the box. The Arsenal defense, quite unlike it, looked error-prone. Saliba had a few miss-passes, Partey was robbed on occasions, and Jurrien Timber almost gifted a chance by choosing to dribble rather than to clear.
The Emirates was in two minds; the fans weren’t sure of what they were seeing. Was it their team taking the foot off the pedal ? or was the old habit of falling off for brief moments returning?. The midfield was looking wedged in, the flanks were withdrawn, and things were, as they say, pretty quiet.
It took the wonder boy Saka and his left foot to release the vent. Picking up the ball on the edge of the box, Saka got into the box, shifted his weight, and unleashed that now familiar left-footed slingshot. This time it was aimed at the near post, and went fizzing past the diving Jose Sa.
Saka had once again put the Emirates at ease.
Miles to go
For an opening game. It was good enough for the title hunters, and Wolves probably would not complain.
O’Neil has very little in his armory to hit the big teams. He knows it and is probably working on a long-term project and building a team for the future.
Arsenal may need an outright striker to give the team a dimension, which might be useful on days of passive play. Arteta has stated in public that he has enough strikers but may in private still be scouring the market.
The season is off the blocks. All the title contenders are ready to go. Arsenal have done their bit. Liverpool looked steady and some times brilliant in their win against newcomers Ipswich. The champions Manchester City go up against Chelsea and would like to start with a win.
The league looks promising and might yet again go to the wire in the last weeks of the season.
==========================================================
