Bukayo Saka has praised Arsenal’s defensive work as the inspiration of their 1-0 win at Aston Villa on Financial institution Vacation Monday, insisting the champions confirmed precisely the form of resilience required to mount a critical title defence.
Saka’s close-range end simply earlier than the hour mark was the distinction between the perimeters at Villa Park, the winger changing Riccardo Calafiori’s low cross after a slick transfer that launched the pair of them in behind a excessive Villa line.
It was Arsenal’s second consecutive win and second consecutive clear sheet to open the brand new marketing campaign, with Mikel Arteta marking his 250th Premier League sport in command of the membership with most factors.
“Very, very robust sport. It’s not straightforward coming right here, they made it onerous for us. It feels even higher to come back out with the win,” Saka mentioned.
“The best way they defend, actually compact and with a excessive line, they caught us offside. We needed to adapt to that. Totally different from what we confronted final week, we weren’t in a position to implement our attacking sample.
“One objective is generally sufficient for us as a result of we’re so strong on the again. After we obtained the primary one, it truly opened the sport up. We needed to push for the second.”
The winger singled out Arsenal’s full-back play as a key contributor to their attacking risk, earlier than returning to the theme of their defensive efficiency because the match’s defining characteristic.
“All of the full-backs, the way in which they play provides us loads. For us wingers, it opens up the sport for us, we’ve all the time obtained composure within the field,” he mentioned.
“We weren’t at our highest stage with the ball. With out it, we had been unimaginable. As quickly as we misplaced it, we had been working again. We knew that they preferred to play in transition. All of the boys put in a shift tonight. It helps with a clear sheet.”
Arteta on squad depth
Villa provided treasured little by way of attacking risk all through, they haven’t registered a shot on course in both of their two opening Premier League fixtures, the primary time any group has achieved that since Swansea Metropolis in 2017-18.
Arsenal, nonetheless, couldn’t afford complacency towards a aspect stung by the 4-0 defeat to Brighton on the opening weekend, and Arteta acknowledged as a lot.
“It is a actually troublesome place to come back and win the sport. Final season we misplaced within the final kick of the sport. They had been damage after what occurred final week. It was an incredible squad efficiency tonight,” he mentioned.
Arteta was requested whether or not this represents his strongest-ever squad by way of depth.
“That’s what we’d like. The gamers that are available in make the distinction. All of them contributed to create extra dominance and extra momentum,” he mentioned.
“The extent of focus and the way in which they wish to contribute to the group, that’s going to be decisive within the season.”
