It's still very early days; the picture hasn't yet become clear. Is what we're seeing a fluke or part of a pattern? Just one of those things or a definitive flaw? A fluke or an identifiable characteristic? That's one of the reasons there's been so much talk about chaos at Chelsea: the current shenanigans follow two years of chaos at Chelsea; it's probably safe to think that the current sense of chaos is real and a Chaotic 6-2 win at Wolves Sunday is not going to change that.
That's also why Manchester City's win at Chelsea last week was so ominous. Last season, Chelsea forced two draws against City; if City could beat them so easily, even with several players still back after their summer exertions, when are they going to drop points this season? Where's the chance for other teams?
Which brings us to ArsenalLast season, they took 89 points. In any era before the world of Manchester City, owned by Sheikh Mansoor and managed by Pep Guardiola, that would not only have been a title-winning season, but a season of extreme dominance. It was just one point less than they got in their unbeaten season. But in the modern era of football, stratification, with clubs owned by states, oligarchs and private capital, was not enough. And so, instead of praising the achievement, faults are sought; what can they improve?
And this is how Arsenal, after one of the greats of all time Premier League In the campaigns, the players were criticised for their mentality. In adversity, they were not good. Last season, when Newcastle scored a controversial goal against them, when Fulham responded, when West Ham proved more obstinate than expected, when mistakes allowed Bayern back into the game, they buckled. Which was both true and ridiculous. Perfection is a tiring ideal; football would be a more attractive place, both emotionally and as a spectacle, if a team were allowed to make a few mistakes, as they always did.
Last season, Arsenal lost twice to Aston Villa. When Unai Emery's side won 2-0 at the Emirates in April, the initiative in the title race passed to City. The season before last, Arsenal won 4-2 at Villa with two injury-time goals, but it was such a tense encounter that it suggested the title race was unsustainable. That's why Saturday's victoryWith all the caveats due to it being only the second weekend of the season, it felt very significant.
It could easily have been the other way around. With the score at 0-0, Ollie Watkins missed a magnificent chance and David Raya saved brilliantly (when he probably should have given the keeper no chance at all by directing his subsequent header closer to the corner). For an hour or so, Arsenal offered very limited threat. But the substitutions changed the game.
In the 65th minute, Jhon Duran and Jacob Ramsey came on for Villa in place of Watkins and John McGinn, and Leandro Trossard replaced Gabriel Martinelli for Arsenal. Villa's pressure, which had been so overwhelming until then, eased momentarily. Martin Ødegaard suddenly found space on the edge of the box. There was an element of luck in Bukayo Saka's cross that fell to Trossard, but the Belgian had otherwise escaped from Kosta Nedeljković. Trossard seized the opportunity and suddenly the dynamic of the match changed.
After Manchester United's defeat at Brighton, their manager, Erik ten Hag, spoke of the need to be effective in both areas. That's what he meant. It was a broadly even game: the xG showed Villa winning 1.2-0.9. But Trossard took his chance and Watkins failed to take any of his, in one case thwarted by an exceptional save. The question then is whether that was essentially random or whether this sort of thing can be reproduced.
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Saturday's victory could be described as an Arsenal masterclass, taking advantage of Villa's pressure, keeping them at arm's length and then breaking them open. Or it could be seen as a way of getting away with it, as last season's fourth-highest Premier League scorer, the striker who scored England's last-minute winner with icy precision in the Euro semi-final, had a strange day. The truth, almost certainly, is somewhere in between.
But where there is a boost for Arsenal is that They remained calmThere was none of the sense of panic that characterised some tough games last season. It is too early to know for sure whether that is evidence of a further tightening of the rules, but there is at least a hint in that direction. More to the point, it is a win in a game they lost last season; in that sense, they are currently three points ahead.
The problem for them is that City, having beaten Chelsea and then eliminated Ipswich with almost casual brutality, are already two points clear of equivalent games last season and look relentless.
This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, the Guardian US's weekly look at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Do you have a question for Jonathan? Email footballconjw@theguardian.comand will respond better in a future edition.
