A first major title in two decades changes a lot of things, understandably so. Months removed from lifting the Premier League title, Arsenal have added a newfound ease to their well-established identity, a confidence that has allowed them to shift their perspective on just about every challenge in front of them. Every trophy is still as valuable as it always was, but as the Gunners begin play in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, the first trophy for grabs in England every season is now less of a launching pad for success – it is now the latest competition that they can use to assert themselves as the country's best team, a label they already have a right to claim.
Last season's title charge was built on the back of a slow but steady roster reconstruction project, their greatest strength the depth they boast as a result. Expect them to showcase that depth on Tuesday at Ipswich Town, where manager Mikel Arteta will have free reign to rotate through his options as they target a berth in the next round. Though Arsenal have earned the right to view their season so far through rose-colored glasses, Tuesday's match offers Arteta and company a chance to experiment and ultimately solve some of the problems they may have noticed in this early stretch of the season, perhaps most notable among them, ensuring their attack is still firing when Arteta's mainstays get the night off.
He seems to have picked his first-choice front three in Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis, the group starting each of the team's first four Premier League matches this season. Saka and Havertz have always been capable of being go-to players on a title-winning team, each of them so far leaving injuries in the past, while newcomer Tzolis has earned his spot with one assist in the league and plenty of bright moments along the way. Date: Tuesday, Sept. 15 | Time: 3 p.m.
ETLocation: Portman Road -- Ipswich, EnglandLive stream: Paramount+Odds: Ipswich Town +700; Draw +375; Arsenal -250 This version of the Gunners' attack currently ranks inside the Premier League's top five for goals with eight and expected goals with 6.85, not far off from most of the teams above them, minus Brighton and Hove Albion in the midst of a scoring spree few others have been able to match. The sample size without the trio is incredibly small right now, restricted to one lone UEFA Champions League game last week, a 1-0 win at Napoli. That game, though, was revealing in its own right.
Arsenal got a lot right in their Champions League opener, outshotting Napoli 26 to five and generated 4.05 expected goals while the opponents had just 0.22. Saka played a sizable role with six shots, while Martin Odegaard eventually scored a well-earned winner. But there was something arduous about that game in, which the Gunners were unlucky, in large part because Viktor Gyokeres was absent for 90 minutes.
The Sweden international did not take a single shot at Napoli, a performance so astonishing that he was joined only by center back Ezri Konsa and goalkeeper David Raya in that regard during an attack-minded outing for Arsenal. It did not help Gyokeres' case after his demotion from starter during a title-winning campaign to an option off the bench, all while offering stiff reminders of the question marks that followed his arrival a year ago from Sporting CP. The forward was the class of Portugal's top flight, but the Premier League comes with different demands, ones he appeared to be meeting as last season inched to a close.
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