Well i can't really claim that as the traumas of the few last seasons lurk in the back :D And you know what they say "2:0" is the most dangerous result :)
Arsenal did an early work in the transfer window and had a good pre season and it shows at the start. My understanding is that Leicester is struggling in the transfer window (they did not get anyone?) and they can lose more players till the end of the transfer period.
Is it that hot in London today? I heard commentators mentioning it and there was a water brake in the middle of first and second half.
Maybe the lack of sharpness and energy at the start of the game that was shown in all the games (preseason and first game) should be contributed to hot weather. Not that there was not forward pressure by Arsenal, but the intensity was not as strong as it was in the last few games. And it contributed to few half chances for Leicester at the start of the game.
What really evolved in this season for Arsenal is constant change of position of all players except the back 3. It feels that it is really hard to keep up and cover everyone when they are all over the place but with a structure to it.
It looks like it will be fun to watch Arsenal games again.
Ramsdale didn't have much to do, and to be honest he was not great with what he had to deal. He was lucky with first half penalty that was overturned. There was almost no contact but there was no need for him to be there. And for the second goal he could have done much better. He could do better and he will.
Saliba had a great game, and he scored an own goal :) and still had a great game. It is great to see that the mistake had 0 influence on his game after that. He looks to calm for his age.
Gabriel Had a good game, no big mistakes, wanted to score a goal, even stayed up the field few times. defensively was ok.
Zinchenko will be a great addon for the games where Arsenal can play high pressure and does not have to defend that much. And playing some kind of back 3 with White, Seliba and Gabriel gives him space to play up front. He gave Arteta a lot more options in attacking part of play as he is playing in several positions. He can go wide as a standard left back but he is technically strong and is often in the midfield position. He is not that strong in defensive role and when the forward pressure is dropped and the ball goes a bit more freely there is a problem. In my opinion the substitution was late and Tierney should have got in some 10 minutes earlier. We will probably see that sub a lot this year and maybe get Tierney starting against top 4-5 teams.
White had a good game and it works well with Zinchenko playing almost as a midfielder. So White is not getting forward that much. He can play that role quite well.
Partey staying fit this season will be essential. He did not do anything spectacular but he did everything he had to do, and did it really well.
Xhaka i almost hate to say it but Xhaka is playing good. He had that one stupid mistake (that he often does) at the start of the game but after that he was good. One thing i always said for him is that he is just slow. Good shot, can send great balls but he needs time for it. And from what i seen he really understands what Arteta wants from him every game. He maybe can't play all those positions well but he knows where he should be and where to move. Maybe that is the reason Arteta likes him as it looks like he really listens and understands what is asked from him. Would still like to see Arsenal getting someone else for that position.
Odegaard had 2 quiet games. Work rate in defending and pressing is great as expected of him, but we expect something spectacular of him going forward. Not a bad game but nothing spectacular.
Saka also had a bit quite game today. Most of the action was going from the other side.
Gabriel Jesus did what everyone in Fantasy league was expecting of him last week :) bet people that sold him after the last game are sorry now :). There is a lot to say about his game but i feel there is no need. He was all over the pitch up front, gave defenders headaches. Scored 2, could have scored 2 more, had 2 assists. He also needs to stay fit for Arsenal to have a great season.
Martinelli it is hard to not give man of the match to Jesus with 2 goals and 2 assists but that is the only reason why Martinelli does not got it. Work rate of this guy is on another level. And he can only get better. Will also be interesting to see him in a game where he gets a bit more space upfront.
Bench looked a bit more optimistic today comparing it to last week. And everyone getting in were not making the team that much worse. No one expects Arsenal having another Jesus on the bench so Nketiah will be ok. Would be nice to get few more quality players in till the end of the transfer window.
Nice start of the season.
