Arsenal cruised past Manchester City in the FA Community Shield on Sunday, winning 3-0 as the reigning Premier League champions looked a cut above their presumed nearest rivals for the title.
Mikel Arteta was delighted. Enzo Maresca looked concerned.
Here's what we learned from the resounding win for the Gunners in Cardiff, as they secured the first piece of silverware on offer this season with minimum fuss.
New signings prove Arsenal’s squad is the strongest, by far, in the league
Adding Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis to this Arsenal squad, which has largely stayed together, is quite unfair. Tzolis is a real talent and is absolutely flying, while Guimaraes adds extra grit and directness to Arsenal's midfield. Arsenal may move on Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, as neither were in the matchday squad for this game, but even if that happens their squad is by far the strongest in the league. They brought on Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Piero Hincapie, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi. They still have Mikel Merino and the injured duo William Saliba and Jurrien Timber to come back in. With the rise of Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was excellent in midfield against City, and Max Dowman, Arteta has two quality players for each position on the pitch. Arsenal's squad depth is scary.
Rodri’s potential departure is a huge problem for City
Watching Man City without Rodri in midfield will have been scary for their fans. City were overrun in that area of the pitch, with Mateo Kovacic and Elliot Anderson unable to stop Arsenal getting the ball forward early and often to launch counters. If World Cup winner Rodri does indeed leave this summer, City will go big on his replacement and Moroccan teenage star Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille seems like his replacement. But it's more than just having a world-class holding midfielder in there breaking up play. Rodri's presence is worth so much more than just his play on the pitch. Enzo Maresca has already lost the experience of Bernardo Silva and John Stones this summer and losing Rodri too could be a little too much for City as he plugs so many gaps defensively, provides much-needed balance and always delivered in the big moments.
Martin Odegaard is back to his best
It is great to see the Arsenal captain fit and confident, as last season was a real struggle for him as he battled injuries and was constantly trying to get back up to speed. His fine summer captaining Norway to the World Cup quarterfinals has given him the confidence he can dictate games at the highest level and Odegaard sat down Donnarumma cheekily before scoring Arsenal's third goal. The fact that Lewis-Skelly, Zubimendi, Rice and Guimaraes will play in Arsenal's deeper midfield positions this season unlocks Odegaard to play in a more advanced No. 10 role. That suits him so well and even though Mikel Arteta will rotate him in and out to keep him fresh, there's once again no doubting Odegaard's quality and importance to Arsenal. After a tough last 12 months, Odegaard is back to his fluid best.