Arsenal made a perfect start to their English Premier League title defense with a comfortable 3-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City.
The Gunners settled the game in the first half against the team coached by former midfielder Frank Lampard, with German forward Kai Havertz opening the scoring in the 15th minute before Bukayo Saka doubled the lead in the 23rd minute.
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Captain Martin Ødegaard then added a third at the start of the second half in the 49th minute.
Spanish manager Mikel Arteta handed new signing Christos Tzolis a starting place in the lineup. Arsenal had also signed Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle and defender Ezri Konsa just hours before their match against Coventry.
Winger Tzolis, who started on the left, once again demonstrated his value by setting up Arsenal’s first two goals, just five days after providing two assists in the 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield.
For the first time since the 2004-05 season, Arsenal began a campaign as league champions, following years spent in the shadow of Manchester City.
Arteta’s side dramatically shifted the balance of power last season when they finally won their first Premier League title in 22 years, since the era of French manager Arsène Wenger.
Arsenal finished last season seven points clear of second-placed Manchester City and have begun their title defense aiming to win back-to-back league titles for the first time since the 1930s.
Arteta will not allow his players to relax after their achievement, particularly as their painful defeat to French side Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in the Champions League final in May has only increased Arsenal’s desire to win more trophies.
Based on their emphatic 3-0 victory over City in last Sunday’s Community Shield, the Gunners appear to have widened the gap over their rivals since last season.
Arteta said his team had made a strong start to the Premier League campaign, praising their performance, control of the match and the understanding between the players.
Speaking after the game, Arteta said: “There were a lot of things that I really liked. Obviously, the result was great, but the way we started the game, the control, clarity, understanding and development throughout the match were extremely impressive.”
The Spanish coach also praised the renewed understanding among several of his key players, saying: “We missed players like Ben White, Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard playing together last season. It was good to see them, and I thought Bukayo was exceptional.”
Arteta stressed that the main objective is to continue developing the players, adding: “The main focus has to be on developing our players and improving the connections between them, because they are already very good.”
Arteta also praised new signing Christos Tzolis, with Arsenal’s official website quoting him as saying: “The way he has performed over the last few games has been incredible.
What he brings as a player is very direct, and he always tries to break the lines. I’m very impressed with him.”
Regarding Bruno Guimarães’ injury, Arteta said: “We don’t expect him to be out for weeks, but we will see how his condition develops during this week. I don’t expect the injury to be a major problem.”
Arteta also welcomed the arrival of defender Ezri Konsa, saying: “Ezri is definitely a player we like a lot in the defensive line.”
Asked about the possibility of strengthening the attack with further signings, Arteta said: “I’m extremely happy with the squad we have. The main focus is on developing the players we already have because we already have a lot of good players.”
Spanish League
Real Betis defeated visitors Real Sociedad 1-0 in the opening round of the Spanish La Liga season.
Former Atletico Madrid player Rodrigo Riquelme scored the only goal for Betis in the 65th minute following an assist from Cucho Hernández.
The victory gave Betis their first three points of the season, while Real Sociedad remain without a point. Real Betis will face Valencia on Tuesday, while Real Sociedad will visit Real Madrid on Wednesday in the next round.
French League
Marseille recorded a convincing 4-0 victory over visiting Strasbourg in their opening match of the new French Ligue 1 season.
Marseille, who finished fifth last season, took the lead in the 46th minute through Amine Gouiri, who doubled the advantage in the 68th minute from the penalty spot.
In the 89th minute, Kylian Abdallah scored Marseille’s third goal before Pierre-Emile Højbjerg completed the rout with a fourth in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
