Arsenal made a statement of intent with a comfortable 3-0 win over newly-promoted Coventry at the Emirates Stadium, where the Premier League trophy is already being celebrated with gold 'Champions' livery around the ground. The stadium announcer welcomed 'The Champions' rather than 'The Arsenal' as the hosts began their title defence in style.
Havertz, Saka and Odegaard all on scoresheet
Mikel Arteta's side showed both intensity and attacking guile, cutting apart Coventry without needing to rely on their set-piece strengths. Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, who all had injury-hit campaigns last season, were on the scoresheet within 48 minutes. Two World Cup winners came on as substitutes in a further show of squad depth.
Odegaard's scuffed finish meant he has already matched last season's Premier League goal tally, while Saka appeared to have recovered from his Achilles injury, showing his pace and finishing into an empty net after being denied by a last-ditch block. Havertz, Arteta's first-choice striker when fit, produced a confident sweeping finish.
Tzolis already a £34m bargain
Christos Tzolis was unplayable in the first 45 minutes, creating three chances - more than anyone else on the pitch when he went off - including an assist for Saka with a clever ball across goal. In one chaotic minute, the winger was found three times on the left wing and delivered a ball in on each occasion, earning applause from the Arsenal fans on that side of the pitch.
Helped perhaps by an extra two weeks of pre-season at Club Brugge before joining Arsenal, Tzolis looked incredibly sharp. His decision-making was often perfect, and he was relentless in running at Coventry, whether cutting inside or beating his man on the outside. Since the start of March, he has scored or assisted in all 16 competitive matches he has played at club level, with this his 16th assist in that run.
At times he drifted across the pitch, on other occasions he held the width, which was particularly effective with Riccardo Calafiori charging forward inside. The confidence was flowing, so much so he took the ball off his captain's toes in the box to get away a blocked shot. Tzolis looks a major upgrade on that left wing.
Martinelli's position far from secure
Arsenal are in a position where first-team players have to be left out of the matchday squad, with only nine substitutes allowed and the squad too big after a quiet summer in terms of sales. Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson were all absent as Arsenal look to find moves for them.
Most interestingly, Gabriel Martinelli was also not involved, with speculation continuing over his future, though he is not believed to be pushing to leave the club this summer. The fact Ethan Nwaneri earned a space on the bench over him, when Arsenal are willing to loan the teenager out, does not bode well for Martinelli. The form of Tzolis, who has grabbed that shirt on the left wing and made it his own, has allowed Arsenal to be more open to the possibility of Martinelli leaving. Having now been left out of two matchday squads in a week, the Brazilian's position at the club is far from secure.
