Arsenal, who are dreaming of winning the title for the first time since 2004, will face a serious revenge test on Saturday when they visit Aston Villa in the second round of the English Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s team started the new season in an ideal way by defeating its guest Wolverhampton, with two goals by German Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, but it now faces a tough match that will be a test of its seriousness in competing with Manchester City for the title.
What makes the match even more important for Arteta’s team is that Villa played an influential role last season in depriving them of their first league title since 2004, during the days of French coach Arsene Wenger, as they beat them 1-0 in the first leg during the sixteenth round, then defeated them at home 2-0 in the thirty-third round, five rounds before the end of the season in which they finished second by only two points, behind City.
Arteta, who has reportedly sealed a deal to sign his compatriot, England midfielder Mikel Merino, from Real Sociedad, while awaiting an official announcement, was pleased with what he saw in the opening match: “Especially at the start of the game, in the first half, we were really good, very aggressive… very fast, with a lot of threat. We should have scored two or three goals, and then the game would have been very different.”
Despite their superiority and the opportunities that were available, Arsenal were satisfied with Havertz’s goal in the first half, before waiting until the last quarter of an hour for Saka to give them a reassuring goal.
On the eve of the new season, Arteta acknowledged the difficulty of snatching the title from City, considering that his team needs to be close to “perfect” in order to dethrone the “Citizens”.
Although Arsenal have never won more points in the Premier League than they did last season, collecting 89 points, they lost the title race to City, who made history as the first team to win the title for a fourth consecutive time.
Arsenal finished the season in second place after City clinched the title in the final round with a win over West Ham, making Arteta’s team’s win over Everton pointless, as the Gunners’ search for their first title since 2004 continues.
Slot to confirm promising start
Asked what it would take to win the title after finishing runners-up to City in the past two seasons, Arteta said his side would have to reach new heights to dethrone compatriot Pep Guardiola’s side.
“To win the title we need to break more of these records again, and definitely win more points,” he said. “That (89 points) won’t be enough. With the level we’re competing at and the difficulty getting higher every season, we have to improve again.”
“I don’t know what ideal is, but it should be very close to the numbers we’ve seen in recent years,” he continued.
Although the season is still in its early stages, Saturday’s match will give an idea of Arsenal’s capabilities against a team that finished fourth last season under Spanish coach Unai Emery and began the new season with an away win over West Ham.
Having started the season with a 2-0 away win over Chelsea, who on Thursday night achieved their first victory under their new Italian coach Enzo Maresca against Swiss side Servette 2-0 in the first leg of the Europa League play-off, City appear to be an extraordinary candidate for a second win, this time at home when they meet Ipswich Town, who are back in the top flight for the first time since losing 1-2 to them in May 2001.
Saturday’s match will be the first ever between the two teams since January 2002, when City won 4-1 away in the FA Cup.
Dutch coach Arne Slot is looking to confirm his promising start with Liverpool, who won their opening match against their guest Ipswich Town 2-0, when they conclude the stage on Sunday, also at home against Brentford.
Manchester United will open the stage on Saturday, away from home against Brighton, with the ambition of achieving a second consecutive victory as well, after opening the season by defeating Fulham with a goal scored three minutes before the end by the new Dutch arrival, Joshua Serksen, after entering as a substitute.
As for Chelsea, with its new coach Maresca, and its squad full of old and new players, the latest of whom is the Portuguese Joao Felix who returned to the London club, this time on a permanent deal extending for seven years from Atletico Madrid, Spain, they will play on Sunday as guests of Wolverhampton, with the ambition of making up for the opening loss to City.