Mikel Arteta's Arsenal: Eager, Enthusiastic, and Desperate to Get on the Field

LONDON – Will Arsenal finally clinch a win on their third attempt? That will be the burning question for Mikel Arteta, his squad, and their devoted fans as they begin their season on Aug 17.

The Gunners must surely be sick of Manchester City by now, having had to settle for second place in the past two seasons behind Pep Guardiola’s champions.

Arteta knows there is only one aim this campaign, to finally win their first English Premier League since 2003-04, and that starts with a home clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

“Well we are really excited,” said the Arsenal manager on Aug 16.

“We have been missing the competition for many weeks – too long for us. We are so willing to start, really enthusiastic about it. We had a really challenging pre-season but managed to adapt and it was a great challenge for everybody.

“The team has looked really sharp, and (we are) desperate to play.

“With the level we are competing with and every season is getting harder, so we are going to have to improve again that’s for sure.”

Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori is Arsenal’s only major close-season signing to date, strengthening what was the best defence in the league last season.

The Gunners are undoubtedly getting stronger under Arteta and will hope to build on the momentum.

The 89 points amassed last season is only surpassed in their history by the unbeaten “Invincibles” side, who won their last Premier League title.

In pre-season, they won their last two matches, 2-0 against Lyon and 4-1 over Bayer Leverkusen, although they did lose 2-1 to fellow Premier League rivals Liverpool before that.

Crucially, their two victories were played at the Emirates, and Arteta will be seeking to continue that run with another home win against Wolves – which will be their sixth straight, competitive or non-competitive.

The odds are in Arsenal’s favour, as it has been 45 years since they last failed to score in a competitive match with Wolves, who have conceded to the Gunners in 33 consecutive games.

However, Arteta will miss the injured Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu, while Jurrien Timber has a minor foot issue but will be in the squad.

Over in the Wolves camp, manager Gary O’Neil will be aiming to improve on last season’s 14th-place finish.

Wolverhampton need to get off to a fast start, as they have lost their Premier League opener in the last three seasons, and a fourth this weekend will be a first for the club.

When it comes to unwanted records, they will also hope to avoid a seventh straight loss against the Gunners, while O’Neil will be plotting for his men to win at the Emirates for the first time since November 2020.

“We’ve had a really good pre-season, the boys are in very good spirits with an understanding on what we are trying to do,” said the manager.

“(Matheus) Cunha is fit, trained the week, so he’s back with the group. Nelson (Semedo) missing, with his red card of the last game of last season, but we are in a good spot and ready to go to give a good account of ourselves.”

Leon Chiwone and Enso Gonzalez Medina are sidelined for the clash, while Daniel Podence is a doubt. AFP