The Premier League is back and so is the post match debrief.
No need for a big preamble today, let’s get straight into the post after a big win to start off the title defense.
Arsenal vs Coventry: The Graphics
Arsenal vs Coventry: The Debrief
20 - Shots from Arsenal in this match. Arsenal managed to get to 20 shots in just 6 of 38 Premier League matches last season.
14 - Shots from open play by Arsenal, including all 3 goals scored.
2.07 - Expected goals from Arsenal in this match, this would have ranked 13th most last season.
6 - Shots on target (30%) for Arsenal in this match.
2.49 - Shot placement xG for Arsenal in this match
36 - Touches in the box from Arsenal in this match
22 - Touches in the “shooting zone” for Arsenal in this match
47 - Zone 14 touches for Arsenal in this match
I don’t think that you can draw up or plan for a better start to the season than what we got from Arsenal here.
The team got an early goal so there was never any of that building tension of will it happen? Arsenal added a second goal while they were dominating and gave themselves a comfortable cushion. The team continued to push, even at +2 and got a third goal just after halftime (everything was going so right that even a miskick found the back of the net).
We also got to see a fit version of Arsenal’s best players all playing together and that reminded us of how good this team can be.
Ødegaard, Saka, and Havertz together is magic for Arsenal
This was just the second time that we got to see a Premier League lineup with Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz starting together since Christmas Eve 2024.
Before the match against Coventry we had only gotten to see this trio start together 9 times since the start of the 2024-25 season. That’s eye-opening and is a pretty good explanatory factor for why it seems like the attack has struggled to fully click into gear consistently over that stretch.
This trio has produced some of the best attacking football and the most all around dominate performances that we have seen under Mikel Arteta.
Here is the break down of the high level stats with these three starting and Havertz playing as a striker compared to the other matches going back to the start of the 2023-24 season.
With this trio, Arsenal have not lost a Premier League match and would be on a 95 point 38 match pace. It would project to 91 goals, 19 allowed and a pretty ridiculous +72 goal difference.
Arsenal are still good when they haven’t been able to play these key players together but they are able to reach a whole new level when they are.
This could be one of the key factors for how this season goes.
Christos Tzolis makes it hard to not get excited
0.51 - Expected threat added through passes and carries (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
4 - Shots (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
0.28 - Expected goals (2nd on Arsenal, 2nd in the match)
3 - First-touch shots (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
3 - Shots assisted (tied 2nd on Arsenal, tied 2nd in the match)
0.19 - Expected goals of the shots he assisted
6 - Shot creating actions (the two actions leading up to a shot) (tied 1st on Arsenal, tied 1st in the match)
0.51 - Expected goals of the shots his shot creating actions led to
4 - Passes completed into the shot zone (the central area in front of goal) (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
6 - Deep completions (passes completed within 20 yards of goal) (tied 2nd on Arsenal, tied 2nd in the match)
5 - Passes completed into the penalty area (tied 1st on Arsenal, tied 1st in the match)
39 - Pass attempts, 31 passes completed for 79.5% pass completion percentage with a 100.3% pass efficiency compared to expected passing
4 - Progressive passes completed
6 - Progressive carries (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
5 - Progressive passes received (tied 2nd on Arsenal, tied 2nd in the match)
8 - Final third entry passes received (tied 2nd on Arsenal, tied 2nd in the match)
3 - Passes received inside the penalty area (tied 3rd on Arsenal)
8 - Penalty area touches (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
5 - Shot zone touches (touches in the central area in front of goal) (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
6 - Zone 14 touches (2nd on Arsenal, tied 2nd in the match)
WHAT. A. DEBUT.
Tzolis has been lighting things up in preseason and I have been fighting the urge to get too overhyped on him. Telling myself it is just preseason. Now he’s done it in the Premier League and that is getting a bit harder. It’s just one match, against a newly promoted team but boy was it a good one.
You can only play the team that is in front of you and so far, he has played with a point to prove at every opportunity.
He’s playing with freedom and directness that is genuinely exciting. Arsenal are still a team that favors attacking on the right hand side but he helped to make sure that there was still threat on the left.
I keep trying to temper the expectations, and he just keeps putting up performances that make that hard. Long may that continue.
Myles Lewis-Skelly making the case for himself in midfield
81 - Pass attempts (2nd on Arsenal, 2nd in the match), 77 passes completed for 95.1% pass completion percentage with a 102.6% pass efficiency compared to expected passing
23.1% - Share of his passes played first time
48.7% - Share of his passes released quickly
16.7% - Share of his passes where he held the ball
2 - Progressive passes completed
6 - Final third entry passes completed (3rd on Arsenal)
3 - Long passes completed (100% completion percentage)
1 - Tackles rode (times he kept the ball through a tackle)
3 - Times he was fouled (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
4 - Times he miscontrolled the ball
2 - Possessions lost on the ball
77 - Passes received (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
3 - Progressive passes received
6 - Defensive third touches
65 - Middle third touches (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
23 - Final third touches
8 - Deep touches (touches within 25 yards of goal) (3rd on Arsenal, 3rd in the match)
14 - Zone 14 touches (1st on Arsenal, 1st in the match)
2 - Tackles attempted (tackles, challenges, and fouls tagged as an attempted tackle), 1 won for a 50.0% tackle success percentage
5 - Ball recoveries (1st on Arsenal, tied 1st in the match)
1 - Possessions won high up the pitch (tied 1st on Arsenal, tied 2nd in the match)
1 - Second balls won
7 - Duels contested
6 - Duels won
This one wasn’t as flashy for Lewis-Skelly as the Community Shield was but it was another solid all around performance for him in midfield.
He kept it pretty safe and played more of a controlling, temp game here. Finding the right times to help set Arsenal up the field and when to keep the ball a bit more and move around the defense.
Arsenal’s midfield is deep and talented, so there will be a fight for minutes this season. Lewis-Skelly is doing everything thing he can to make the choice hard on Arteta for who he will pick.
A good game by all. MLS and Mosquera will continue to improve with PT. I hope the manager can come up with a reasonable rotation. Does Konsa play left CB?
Here's to hoping that Califiori, Saka and Ode stay fit. Come on Timber, get well.
it would appear, on the heat maps, that MLS balances the side 'leftwards' something that we haven't had since Xhaka departed, does that stack up to scrutiny ?
Also, in the 2nd half, it felt like we tilted rightwards, with Tzolis less involved, is that true ??