Four things we learnt as Arsenal saw off Wolves on the opening weekend
Bukayo Saka celebrates his first of the season (Credit: Shaun Botterill)

Arsenal's Premier League campaign got off to a perfect start after a 2-0 win over Gary O'Neil's Wolves side. 

Kai Havertz put the hosts one up inside the opening 25 minutes with a fine header past Jose Sa, after Bukayo Saka floated in a delicious cross that the German International just had to head home. 

The England man then turned goalscorer, pulling out his trademark move. Cutting in on his left foot taking another small touch to open the space before hitting a thunderous strike towards the near post which Sa had very little chance of saving. 

It was not all one-way traffic as there were spells in the game where Wolves were on top and looked to threaten but, overall, it was a good day at the office for Arteta and his players.

With a tough opening five games to start this season, including Aston Villa, Tottenham and champions Manchester City, it was an important three points for the Gunners.

Here is what we learnt from the Gunners opening game:

  • Left-back is still an issue

Oleksandr Zinchenko had a very positive pre-season this summer, looking back to his old best especially when moving inside to midfield. Where he has always been weakest however is when defending, this was again highlighted against Wolves. 

With Wolves beginning to get a grip on the game, they started to attack a lot more down the left-hand side and there may have been some defensive concerns, which led to Zinchenko being substituted.

Jurrien Timber was brought on, which is a boost for many, while new signing Riccardo Calafiori remained on the bench. This should not be too much of an issue as Arteta has said he doesn't want to rush the Italian into the team. 

This will not be a huge concern for now, but there are still defensive concerns regarding Zinchenko; does what he offers when in possession outweigh the defensive issues he also portrays?

The England international picked up where he left off last season getting both a goal and an assist in the opening game of the campaign. He floated in a brilliant ball to Havertz for the first goal before scoring an even better one himself in the second half. 

What was good to see during his second goal was the control he had over the ball, how he manipulated the defender to not want to be too tight and his ability to create a yard of space before sticking to the near post - which is a slightly different finish to his normal one, from the angle where he usually goes for the far post rather than near.

This will only benefit Saka going forward, as keepers may not anticipate his finish as he has traditionally favoured a far post finish but if he can continue to finish both near and far he may see a lot more goals this season. 

It was not just his goal contributions which showed why he is so good this weekend, his all-round game was fantastic, looking a threat whenever he was on the attack. He is certainly someone Arsenal cannot afford to lose to injury as the cover in that area is not as strong as it is elsewhere on the field. 

The Arsenal number one has been in North London for just over a year now and, if he had not done so already, this weekend showed why Arteta was right to bring him in last year - while sending Aaron Ramsdale to the bench. 

Raya performed one of the saves of the season already when denying Jørgen Strand Larsen - who looked certain to score from point-blank range. The Spanish keeper was wrong-footed at the time, but Raya managed to stretch out a glove and claw the ball away. It was a save he had no right to make, but make it he did. 

He won the Golden Glove last time out by some distance, and he will be looking to win the award for back-to-back years. 

  • Arsenal do not need a striker

The main area people have highlighted this summer for where Arsenal need to improve is at the top of the field. Last time out, Havertz did have the cutting edge there when his team needed it and Gabriel Jesus was out for large parts due to injury. 

This season however, Havertz has looked ready, sharp and fresh for the new season and has already scored his first goal of the season which will be a huge relief off his shoulders. The same goes for Jesus, he has had a very good pre-season and looks as ready as he did when he first moved to Arsenal in 2022. 

If both of these players can contribute just 10 per cent more than they had done last season that could be what takes Arsenal all the way to the title. Any striker they look to bring in now will cost a substantial amount of money as we approach the last two weeks of the window. 

The easy solution is to trust in who they currently have and hope they can perform as well as have the players who did so well last season continue the form they have previously shown, this weekend however has proved that Arsenal may not need that new striker.