Mikel Arteta praised Arsenal's dominant 3-0 victory over Coventry in the first Premier League match, noting that it demonstrates the team's relentless desire to win trophies, and also highlighted the players' cohesion and determination in the opening match of the season.
Arteta's team continued the successful momentum from the previous season, easily defeating Coventry, who proved significantly weaker, thanks to goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Ødegaard at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal has become a favorite in the title race, and their confident play showed that opponents will find it difficult to keep up with this pace this season.
Arteta was impressed by how his footballers overwhelmed an advancing Coventry through relentless pressing. He stated: 'I think they look exactly like last season. What I gave them is to show more desire and earn the right to be the best.'
The coach noted the high level of play: 'There was a lot of good in the performance. It was a great result, but also the manner in which we started the game. It was dominance, clarity, and understanding. It was truly impressive.'
Arteta also highly rated the team cohesion, which allowed Arsenal to repeatedly break down Coventry's defense. He mentioned that new winger Kristross Tsolis made an impression in his debut league match after moving from Club Brugge. Arteta added: 'We were so dominant, we had incredible connections, we were very precise with the ball.' He concluded that the players must be determined, and today they looked very connected and played with great purpose.
When asked if Arsenal's convincing victory—on the day Ezri Konsa, Aston Villa's defender, was signed—shows their superiority over competitors, Arteta answered negatively. He explained that some rivals have incredible and much larger squads. Nevertheless, the team strives for improvement, and they understand that doing what they enjoy is right for them, as well as knowing which players can help them become stronger. He added that he is very pleased with the acquisition of Ezri, calling him a 'great defender, a great personality.'
Regarding the injury to Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarães, who joined from Newcastle in the pre-season, Arteta reported that he does not expect a long absence for the player, predicting it will not take 'several weeks.'
Martin Ødegaard also highly praised Arsenal's perfect start to the campaign. The Arsenal midfielder called it an 'ideal start. Three goals and a clean sheet. It was very solid.' He emphasized that the team's quality is 'incredible,' and all players motivate each other. Ødegaard confirmed that the team does not feel the need to defend the title; their goal is to repeat the success, attack, and fight for it again.
In the Coventry match, they demonstrated a clear lack of threat, taking 60 minutes to make the first touch in Arsenal's penalty area. Coventry manager Frank Lampard admitted that Arsenal taught them a lesson. He noted: 'Fantastic team, a good lesson for our boys to see this level. They played like champions.' Lampard added that despite the difficulty of the game, the experience gained at the stadium and the atmosphere would likely be useful, and the conceded goals are a harsh reality.
