Arsenal's Title Defence Begins: Coventry 3–0, Martinelli & the New Gunners

But beyond getting a scoreline right, what did we actually learn from Arsenal's opening game of the new season? For me, the biggest takeaway is that Arsenal looked like a team that understood exactly what was required of them.

There was no unnecessary drama, no panic, there was no need for a late goal to rescue the afternoon or evening.

Arsenal took control, scored their goals, kept commentary at arm's length and finished the job professionally.

That is what champions are supposed to do.

Kai Havertz got the opening goal.

Bukayo Saka added the second and Martin Odegaard put the game beyond Coventry shortly after halftime.

And I particularly liked the spread of those goals because they tell us something about the different ways Arsenal can hurt teams.

Havertz leading the line and finding the right position.

Saka... doing what Saka does, and Odegaard, our captain, arriving with that sense of authority that we want to see from him this season.

That third goal was important because it effectively ended the contest.

At 3-0, Arsenal didn't need to go chasing a fourth or fifth goal.

they could manage the game conserve energy and think about the long season ahead and that's going to be very very important this season because defending the premier league title is a completely different challenge from winning it in the first place every opponent wants a piece of you every fixture carries an extra level of expectation and arsenal now have to balance the premier league with the champions league and the domestic competitions now that means squad depth is going to be absolutely crucial and this is where I'm particularly interested in the new Arsenal.

Christos Zolis caught the eye, there was energy, movement and creativity from him and he was involved in the build up to Arsenal's first two goals.

Now I know there is already a conversation among supporters about what this means for Gabriel Martinelli and I'm not going to pretend that one good performance suddenly settles the debate, it does not.

but competition is healthy.

If Zolis can genuinely push Martinelli, if Martinelli responds, and if both players raise their level because they know they have to fight for their place, Arsenal benefits.

That is what I want to see.

I don't want Arsenal buying players simply because the fanbase is anxious.

I want competition.

I want players fighting for their places.

And I want Mikel Arteta to have the luxury of making difficult decisions because he has good options.

That is what a championship squad should look like.

And then we have the midfield.

Something is reassuring about seeing Arsenal with options.

The ability to introduce players like Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Mourinho from the bench gives you an idea of the depth Arteta now has available to him.