“Mikel Arteta still need to learn a lot…The player he wanted to sell last week is the only player who did amazingly great yesterday”: Arsenal legend Patrick Viera slams Mikel Arteta and praise the superstar who was the best player against Wolves yesterday

“Mikel Arteta still need to learn a lot…The player he wanted to sell last week is the only player who did amazingly great yesty”: Arsenal legend Patrick Viera slams Mikel Arteta and praise the superstar who was the best player against Wolves yesterday

For a team like Arsenal that has narrowly missed winning the Premier League title twice in a row, it was interesting to see that their starting lineup for this season’s first game was filled with familiar faces. Despite being so close to winning last year, Arsenal didn’t make any drastic changes to their squad. The only new player in the team was Riccardo Calafiori, a £42 million defender from Italy, but he didn’t even get to play and stayed on the bench.

Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, believes that the team doesn’t need a lot of new players to win the title this season. He didn’t make many moves in the transfer market over the summer and when asked if the team needed a new striker to improve their chances, Arteta confidently responded that they already have excellent strikers.

During this opening match, Arteta’s confidence was put to the test. Arsenal had 18 shots, and the fans were eager for a goal, hoping for a sharp finisher to get the job done. Although Arsenal dominated the game, they struggled to find the net, but in the end, Arteta’s faith in his team paid off as they managed to secure a win against a weaker Wolves side.

Kai Havertz, one of Arsenal’s key players, had some challenging moments. Early in the game, he lost possession when he had a clear chance to score and later missed a shot badly after halftime. However, Havertz redeemed himself by scoring a goal, showing why Arteta trusts him so much. He bravely went for the ball and headed it into the net after a perfect cross from Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal kept creating chances—Saka forced the Wolves’ goalkeeper Jose Sa into making a couple of good saves, Declan Rice shot over the bar, Gabriel Martinelli’s shot was deflected, and Thomas Partey missed the target. But the game was finally sealed with a superb goal. When the home crowd started to worry that a single goal might not be enough, Saka made a brilliant move, creating just enough space to curl the ball beautifully into the corner of the net.

Towards the end of the game, Gabriel Jesus, who had shown great form in pre-season, came off the bench for a brief appearance. He was joined by Eddie Nketiah, whose future at the club remains uncertain due to interest from other teams. Another substitute, Leandro Trossard, has also been used as a central striker at times. This raises the question of whether Arsenal really needs another goalscorer.

Of course, Arsenal will face tougher opponents than Wolves, who are dealing with the usual summer changes to their squad. Wolves have recently lost both their captain Max Kilman and their best player Pedro Neto, bringing in nearly £100 million for the club.

Wolves’ manager, Gary O’Neil, who just signed a new four-year contract, is trying to keep fans’ expectations realistic. Last season, Wolves had hoped to qualify for European football, but they fell short in the final weeks. Given their many new and less experienced players, it wasn’t surprising that Wolves focused more on defending than attacking in this game. Despite Arsenal’s struggles to score, Wolves managed to stay in the game, giving their traveling fans some hope as the match went on.

Wolves had a few opportunities to score, including a great header from their new Norwegian striker, Jorgen Strand Larsen, but Arsenal’s goalkeeper, David Raya, made a fantastic save. Raya, who just made his move to Arsenal permanent after being on loan from Celta Vigo, stopped the goal with a quick reaction, even though his body was moving in the opposite direction.

As the game progressed, Wolves began to show more threat. Rayan Aït-Nouri narrowly missed the target, and Matheus Cunha, left unmarked by Arsenal’s William Saliba, shot weakly at Raya. These moments of danger created tension among the Arsenal fans. However, that tension was quickly lifted with Saka’s stunning left-footed goal, securing Arsenal’s victory.