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 sort 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 edges 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 recreation accountable for the membership with most factors.
“Very, very powerful recreation. It’s not straightforward coming right here, they made it arduous for us. It feels even higher to come back out with the win,” Saka stated.
“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 capable of implement our attacking sample.
“One objective is often sufficient for us as a result of we’re so stable on the again. Once we bought the primary one, it really 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 menace, earlier than returning to the theme of their defensive efficiency because the match’s defining function.
“All of the full-backs, the way in which they play provides us so much. For us wingers, it opens up the sport for us, we’ve at all times bought composure within the field,” he stated.
“We weren’t at our highest stage with the ball. With out it, we have been unbelievable. As quickly as we misplaced it, we have been working again. We knew that they favored to play in transition. All of the boys put in a shift tonight. It helps with a clear sheet.”
Arteta on squad depth
Villa supplied valuable little when it comes to attacking menace all through, they haven’t registered a shot heading in the right direction in both of their two opening Premier League fixtures, the primary time any workforce has achieved that since Swansea Metropolis in 2017-18.
Arsenal, nonetheless, couldn’t afford complacency towards a facet stung by the 4-0 defeat to Brighton on the opening weekend, and Arteta acknowledged as a lot.
“This can be a actually troublesome place to come back and win the sport. Final season we misplaced within the final kick of the sport. They have been harm after what occurred final week. It was a fantastic squad efficiency tonight,” he stated.
Arteta was requested whether or not this represents his strongest-ever squad when it comes to depth.
“That’s what we want. The gamers that are available in make the distinction. All of them contributed to create extra dominance and extra momentum,” he stated.
“The extent of focus and the way in which they wish to contribute to the workforce, that’s going to be decisive within the season.”
