Arsenal secured three points on the opening day by beating Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford.
On a day that was all about the new attackers on show for both sides, it was a defender who scored the only goal of the game.
Riccardo Calafiori found the net from a corner in what was an overall poor Arsenal display against Man United.
Fortunately, Mikel Arteta’s side were able to take three points back to North London, as well as lots of pointers to improve before the next fixture.
Micah Richards applauds Arsenal’s squad depth
Bruno Fernandes thought United were much better than Arsenal, which, when looking at the numbers, is a fair assessment.
The hosts dominated the game in terms of possession and shots on goal, but it was the Gunners who won.
No matter how unconvincingly the points came, Arteta will be overjoyed with the victory, and the win wasn’t the only positive on show.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football Podcast, pundit Micah Richards couldn’t help but notice how much better Arsenal’s squad depth has become over the summer.
“You know what’s really good about Arsenal now? I think they’re still a left winger short, a forward short, but if you look at Arsenal’s bench today.
“Ben White started with Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly last season was outstanding and Timber.
“He can change the fullbacks now, and it won’t affect the team; the quality doesn’t go down. That will help as long as everyone stays fit. Merino, the impact he had, Madueke came on.”
Arsenal’s bench was packed with quality, with, as Richards explained, the Gunners’ two starting full-backs of last season starting the game as substitutes.
When legs got tired and tactics grew stale, Arteta was able to mix things up, as seen by the changes made on the hour mark, replacing Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli with Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke.
There’s work to be done in the summer transfer market yet, but it’s already clear to see that Arsenal are learning their lesson from last term.
Notable absentees from Arsenal’s squad vs Man United
Arsenal’s bench was packed with talent, including new signings Madueke, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Cristhian Mosquera.
Max Dowman also travelled with the squad, signalling how Arteta values him; however, there were some notable absences.
Amid transfer speculation, Jakub Kiwior missed out and did not travel, which was the same case for Reiss Nelson and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Summer signing Christian Norgaard also didn’t travel, but his omission was precautionary rather than tactical.
“He had a little issue the medical staff will address. He wasn’t able to play today,” Arteta confirmed.
With the season underway and the summer transfer window nearing its final stages, exits are set to happen, as are arrivals.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
