Arsenal beat Wolves 2-0 at home, then defeated Aston Villa 2-0 at Villa Park to start their 2024-25 Premier League season. This is a great start to the new season for the Gunners. Riccardo Calafiori, whose announcement as an Arsenal player we covered in an earlier article, made his official Arsenal debut as well. Without further ado, let’s dive into these topics in our Arsenal 24-25 Part 1 article.
Arsenal 24-25 Part 1: The Defense Did Pretty Well
The Gunners kept clean sheets against both Wolves and Aston Villa. Arsenal’s defense played pretty well in both games, although Gabriel Magalhaes made a noticeable mistake against Villa. However, Aston Villa did have a few too many opportunities. David Raya had to make an incredible save to preserve Arsenal’s clean sheet in that game.
David Raya deserves credit for his performances in these games. It is clear that Raya returned from his time with Spain ready for the Premier League season. The other regular starters in Arsenal’s defense played well overall. Despite this, William Saliba deserves a special mention for an excellent tackle in this game. The team is still not quite at its best yet.
Riccardo Calafiori made his official Arsenal debut against Aston Villa. He played well and will likely make a significant impact for the Gunners this season. It is good to see Calafiori hit the ground running.
Arsenal’s Midfield Created Chances and Dominated Possession
The Gunners’ midfield performed well in possession in this game, with 60% possession against Aston Villa. Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, and Thomas Partey all helped Arsenal control the game. Odegaard’s creativity and work rate was excellent as usual. Rice battled in midfield and helped drive the team forward.
Partey shielded the defense and allowed Rice the opportunity to drive forward. However, Partey could have been better out of possession and was a bit slow in dealing with Aston Villa attacks at times. Partey did score a vital goal for Arsenal to make it 2-0 in the second half. Despite this, he wasn’t at his best out of possession.
Arsenal’s new signing, Mikel Merino, will certainly improve the team’s midfield depth.
Arsenal 24-25 Part 1: Arsenal’s Attack Did Enough
Arsenal’s attack wasn’t spectacular against Aston Villa, but it did enough. The Gunners got four shots on target and scored two goals. Saka had a decent game, as did Havertz. However, Martinelli struggled once again.
Leandro Trossard came off the bench and scored Arsenal’s first goal clinically. Trossard continues to play well whenever Arteta calls on him. It is possible that Trossard will start against his former club Brighton & Hove Albion in Arsenal’s next Premier League game.
The Gunners Host Brighton Next
Arsenal returns home to the Emirates to face Brighton next. Brighton, like Arsenal, have won both of their first two Premier League games of the season. It is reasonable to expect a tough game. However, Arsenal should continue their winning ways against Brighton.
Check back next week for more Arsenal content.