Arteta hails Arsenal’s desire after perfect start to Premier League title defence

LONDON – Mikel Arteta said Arsenal’s dominant 3-0 win against Coventry City in the English Premier League season opener on Aug 21 proved the champions have not lost their hunger for silverware.

Arteta’s side picked up where they left off last season, cruising to victory over out-classed Coventry, thanks to goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners have been installed as title favourites and their swaggering display suggested their rivals will struggle to keep up this season.

Arteta was encouraged by the way his players set about overwhelming promoted Coventry with their relentless pressing.

“They look exactly the same (as last season) to me. What I did transmit to them was to show more desire and earn the right to be better than everyone else,” said the 44-year-old Spaniard.

“There was a lot to like from the performance. It was a great result but also the manner we started the game.

“It was domination, clarity and understanding. It was really impressive.”

He also hailed the cohesion between his players as they carved open the Coventry defence time and again, with new winger Christos Tzolis impressing on his league debut after joining from Club Brugge.

“We were so dominant, we had incredible connections, we were really accurate with the ball,” Arteta added.

“The players have to be decisive and they were today. They looked really connected and played with a lot of purpose.”

Asked if Arsenal’s emphatic win – on the day they signed Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa – showed they are stronger than any of their challengers, Arteta said: “No. Because when I look at the squads, some of them are incredible and much bigger than ours.

“We look to improve and do what we like is right for us and understand the players who can improve us and give us an edge.

“Ezri is a player we really like in the defensive line. We recruited a great defender, a great personality, so I’m very pleased.”

Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, a close-season recruit from Newcastle United, was sidelined by an injury, but Arteta does not expect him to be out for long.

Odegaard hailed Arsenal’s ideal opening to the new campaign.

“The perfect start. Three goals and a clean sheet. It was really solid,” the Norwegian midfielder said.

“The team’s quality is unbelievable, we see that every day in training. The level we compete at is unbelievable and we all push each other.”

On Arsenal’s belief they can retain the title, Odegaard added: “We don’t feel we have to defend anything. We want to do it again and that’s the mindset.

“Last year is finished now, we want to do it again and we want to attack it and fight for it again.”

In a damning indication of their lack of threat, Coventry took 60 minutes to manage their first touch in the Arsenal penalty area.

Frank Lampard’s side are back in the top flight after a 25-year absence and the Sky Blues boss admitted Arsenal had given them a lesson.

He said on the BBC’s Match of the Day show: “It’s a good learning curve for our players.

“You come here and want to do something but it’s very difficult. It’s a good experience to live. We hate defeats, but you can lose here and there is a lot to be done to do what we want to do this season, so we will take the learnings.” AFP