Arsenal started last season as nearly men - but now they have the swagger of winners. That much can be seen on the approach to Emirates Stadium. Above the entrance to the ground is new signage, a simple message in gold: 'Champions'.
Players and fans alike have taken the confidence of last season's Premier League title win - their first in 22 years - and are using it as the team start their bid to retain it. The players were each given an introduction as they came out for their warm-up, while the crowd serenaded the team with "champions of England" throughout the 3-0 win over Coventry. Captain Martin Odegaard discussed in his programme notes how the silverware had given the team "more confidence" and said the mentality of the team is not to defend their title, but to attack it.
"We don't feel we have to defend anything," he told Match of the Day. "We want to do it again and that's the mindset. "Last year is finished now.
We want to do it again and we want to attack it and fight for it again." Facing a newly promoted side is no easy task, as Arteta's side learned the hard way in their 2021 season opener, losing away to Brentford. But since then Arteta has transformed the club . With a comfortable win over Coventry, he became just the fifth manager to reach 150 victories in the Premier League in fewer than 250 games - after Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp, and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Arteta has made a point of trying to unlock the atmosphere inside Emirates Stadium as he tries to create a fortress for away teams to fear. So many times last season, Arsenal fans were criticised for their nervous energy and the way it translated to the team as they chased down that elusive league title. And while this win over Coventry will not define their season, it could be a sign of things to come.
"Let's see when we are 0-0 and when we are maybe losing a game, see how we react," Arteta said when asked by BBC Sport about the atmosphere inside the stadium. "Today was the start of the game, and the two goals were obviously a good platform for everybody to feel this way. But I think we all learned in the past as well that one really helps the team.
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