Arsenal made a statement on Sunday as they dismantled Manchester City in the Community Shield, taking the lead inside 30 seconds and never looking back. City were the only team to give the Gunners a challenge last season, before eventually falling short, but the gap looks to have massively widened as they embark on their post-Pep Guardiola era.
Arsenal's Squad Strengthened
Mikel Arteta has wasted no time pressing home the Arsenal advantage, adding the likes of Bruno Guimaraes with the Gunners boasting, in the eyes of many, the best squad in the Premier League. Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea are all under new management and will hope to spoil the party, but they have huge gaps to make up on Arsenal, who only look to be getting stronger.
Rivals Face Transitions
In the last 15 years City are the only team to defend their Premier League crown, but Arsenal look well equipped to emulate that achievement. It might only be one game, regarded by some as a glorified pre-season friendly, but Arteta's outfit looked ominous ahead of the season kicking off.
Ben Husband: "It feels like the perfect storm for Arsenal. Not only are they the strongest side in the league, but their rivals all seem to have huge issues. City are not only heading into the first season of the post-Pep era, they will be doing it without their talismanic midfielder Rodri. They will replace him with a big-money signing, but it feels like it could be a transitional season for Enzo Maresca."
Writers' Verdicts
Sam Meade: "If Arsenal are to be stopped then it will take a serious performance to deny them. All the conventional wisdom says that the Gunners, who've added the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, will win the Premier League. Questions hang over so many of their rivals, the majority of whom have new man at the helm who still need to get their ideas across and embed their philosophy."
Jeremy Cross: "Arsenal laid down quite a marker to the rest of the Premier League in winning the Community Shield. It was a statement of intent. The shackles have been released following last season's long-awaited title triumph. Manchester City and Liverpool are going through periods of transition with new managers, Manchester United have failed to strengthen their squad and Chelsea remain as unpredictable as always. It feels like the perfect storm for Mikel Arteta. A real chance to go on and dominate the domestic scene. On current evidence, no-one will be capable of stopping him from doing so."
Felix Keith: "It would be foolish to rule out any of Arsenal's rivals before a ball has even been kicked in the Premier League this season. The Gunners are rightly installed as the bookies' favourites and Pep Guardiola's departure is undoubtedly a factor in their favour. But they are far from infallible. As things stand, Arsenal have failed to bring in cover for the injured William Saliba and failed to land a world-class attacker, with Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez out of reach. City may be in transition but they still have the division's best striker in Erling Haaland and a squad stacked with talent. They remain Arsenal's closest competitors."
Liverpool are obviously short in a few positions and doubts remain over key players. Manchester United showed they aren't far off, but Michael Carrick will, for the first time, have to cope with more than one competition, while Xabi Alonso has a huge task whipping a bloated Chelsea squad into shape. Arsenal are the safest bet right now, but with two weeks of the transfer window still to go much can change.
