It was not enough - Mikel Arteta names one thing Arsenal failed to do against Wolves

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta || Imago

It was not enough - Mikel Arteta names one thing Arsenal failed to do against Wolves

Izuchukwu Akawor • Izuchukwu Akawor • 09:37 - 18.08.2024

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta was not so impressed with their opening day result against Wolves in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta's Premier League (PL) contenders Arsenal have continued from where they stopped last season after a winning start to the 2024/2024 season.

The Gunners proved too good and strong for their visitors Wolverhampton Wanders following a comfortable 2-0 win at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon.

Arsenal dominated their season's opening game against Wolves, with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scoring in front of a happy crowd at the Emirates Stadium.

The victory meant that the Gunners won their last seven PL matches, while Havertz contributed to goals in his last 3 PL matches - two goals and two assists.

Kai Harvertz celebrates his first goal of the season.
Kai Harvertz celebrates his first goal of the season.

Despite a strong start to the season, manager Mikel Arteta was not as impressed with what he saw from the Gunners as they aim to dethrone Manchester City for the third successive season.

Speaking to the PL after the match, Arteta highlighted what he wanted from his team as what he witnessed especially before Saka’s all-important winner was not enough.

Mikel Arteta wanted his team to kill the game earlier.
Mikel Arteta wanted his team to kill the game earlier.

“At 1-0 it was not enough.” the emotionless Arteta stated. “We had enough chances in the first half to finish the game.

“Kai Havertz was involved in a lot of positive actions, he is in a good place but we should have opened the gap in terms of the scoreline much earlier.”

Bukayo Saka netted the winner for Arsenal.
Bukayo Saka netted the winner for Arsenal.

While Arteta believes his side created enough chances to have killed off the game earlier, stats show that the Gunners only managed one big chance more than their visitors.

In terms of shots, Arsenal had 18 compared to nine for Wolves, but only six of those attempts were on target, with the challengers registering just a 1.24 xG.

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Despite taking the victory and three points, Arteta’s concern may be connected with their next match which sees them head to the Villa Park where they also struggled last season.

Aston Villa played a key role in Arsenal's failure to dethrone Man City last season after doing the double over the Gunners. Arteta will want his team to right some wrongs when they go head-to-head next weekend.

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