Against Lyon on Sunday, Arsenal demonstrated that they are ready to begin the new Premier League season just as strongly as they finished the last.
Both William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes were imperious at the back, scoring Arsenal’s two goals in their 2-0 win over Lyon.
Zinchenko also stood-out for Arsenal, and although the game was supposed to be a celebration of new defender Riccardo Calafiori, it was a different signing that looked so important once again.
Set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has been an invaluable addition to the Arsenal family, sourcing so many goals for the Gunners.
And if Arsenal are going to beat Manchester City to the title this season, they will need to continue to dominate from dead ball situations.
That being said, whilst speaking at his press conference via football.london after Sunday’s Emirates Cup final, Lyon manager Pierre Sage shared his thoughts on Arsenal winning the league.
Without Alexandre Lacazette, who is recovering from his efforts at the Olympics, Lyon looked low on quality, but perhaps were just overwhelmed by an excellent Arsenal team.
Lyon manager Pierre Sage explains what Arsenal have to do to beat Man City
Lyon also begin their league campaign this weekend, facing Rennes on Sunday.
Sage will be hoping to inspire a much better campaign this time around, a manager who does have a strong record since his appointment last November.
And whilst the Frenchman didn’t provide a definitive answer on whether Arsenal can win the league next season, he did provide a tip for the Gunners, one that is quite pertinent.
Sage said: “Last year was a big challenge, because the two teams had a good run, but City made the difference at the end.
“It’s similar to City and Liverpool before. It’s a league where the teams are very close to each other.
“You have to be very consistent and you have to win the biggest games against your opponents.”
Of course, when talking about beating your rivals, Paul Scholes thought Arsenal made a big mistake not pushing to beat Man City at the Etihad last season when they looked vulnerable.
But with added squad depth, in the form of Calafiori and possibly even Mikel Merino if he joins Arsenal, Arteta will hope that this is finally the season to land another league title in north London.
