Can Arteta’s Experience Give Arsenal the Edge Over the Premier League’s New Managers?

The Premier League’s top six will not be allowed a gentle introduction to the new season.

Xabi Alonso, Andoni Iraola and Enzo Maresca are beginning new jobs. Roberto De Zerbi is still establishing himself at Tottenham, while Michael Carrick is preparing for his first full campaign at Manchester United.

Their first task is not to perfect a tactical system by Christmas. It is to win enough matches in August and September to prevent questions arriving before the work has properly begun.

Mikel Arteta does not have that problem. Arsenal’s players already know his demands, his structure and their roles. With several rivals starting again, that familiarity could be worth early points.

Arsenal must cruise into business-as-usual mode 

Arsenal open at home to promoted Coventry City before travelling to Aston Villa and hosting Chelsea.

The first game should allow the champions to begin with authority. The following two will provide a more useful measure. Villa away has become one of the division’s harder assignments, while Chelsea’s visit brings an immediate meeting with Alonso’s rebuilt side.

Arteta’s first order of business is therefore straightforward: make Arsenal’s stability count.

While Chelsea are introducing new players and a new manager, Arsenal cannot afford to look like a team still recovering from the summer. Seven points from their opening three would represent a strong start. Dropped points against Coventry would immediately waste the advantage their continuity provides.

Alonso Must Quickly Find a Chelsea XI

Alonso’s biggest problem is not a lack of options. It is deciding which ones belong together.

Morgan Rogers is the statement signing, while Geovany Quenda, Marco Palestra and Emmanuel Emegha add further competition to a squad that was already crowded. Rogers and Cole Palmer can both carry the ball, create and operate between midfield and attack. Alonso must work out how to place both in influential areas without leaving Chelsea unbalanced.

His first two matches, away to Fulham and at home to Brighton, are games Chelsea will expect to win. Then comes Arsenal at the Emirates on September 6.

That gives Alonso only two league fixtures to settle on a shape before facing the champions. A poor start would quickly turn Chelsea’s transfer spending from a source of optimism into another debate about recruitment and squad construction.

Iraola Must Prove Liverpool Can Control Matches

Iraola’s first order of business is to adapt his football to a different type of opponent.

His Bournemouth side succeeded by pressing aggressively, forcing errors and attacking space. Liverpool will regularly face teams who offer them less space and spend long periods defending near their own penalty area.

The opening trip to Newcastle will test Liverpool’s intensity and defensive organisation immediately. Nottingham Forest and Ipswich follow before Iraola returns to Bournemouth on September 20.

Liverpool need points before they need perfection. Newcastle away is difficult, but the next two fixtures provide little margin for error. Failure to beat Forest or Ipswich would place early scrutiny on whether Iraola can turn an energetic side into one capable of controlling possession.

Maresca Must Make City Look Like His Team

Maresca knows Manchester City, but his first job is to establish where his side will differ from Guardiola’s.

He cannot spend the opening months presenting a diluted version of the previous manager’s football. City’s players need clarity over how they build attacks, who controls midfield and how aggressively they press after losing possession.

Bournemouth at home, Crystal Palace away and Coventry at home give Maresca a favourable opening on paper. Those fixtures also create pressure to start quickly. City will be expected to take nine points before facing Manchester United on September 13.

The derby is Maresca’s first major checkpoint. Arrive there with a perfect record and the transition feels controlled. Drop points beforehand and every tactical change will receive greater attention.

De Zerbi Must Stop Tottenham Becoming Too Open

De Zerbi’s football requires courage in possession, but Tottenham’s first priority must be control.

Spurs cannot spend another season producing attractive passages while allowing matches to become stretched. De Zerbi needs to decide which midfielders can receive the ball under pressure and which defenders can support his build-up without exposing the team in transition.

Brentford away is an awkward opening fixture. Newcastle at home follows, before trips to Nottingham Forest and a home match against Everton.

Those games will test whether Tottenham can deal with direct attacks, second balls and physical pressure. Style will matter, but De Zerbi’s first month will be judged mainly on whether Spurs look harder to play through.

Carrick Must Turn Momentum Into Expectation

Carrick has already improved Manchester United, but beginning a full season is different from rescuing one midway through it.

His first task is to show that last season’s rise was built on more than the momentum of a managerial change.

United start away at promoted Hull City and then host Ipswich. Six points should be the target before Everton away and a Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

That derby will reveal more about Carrick’s progress than the opening two games. United finished third under him, so the standard has already moved. He is no longer the interim figure restoring calm. He is now expected to produce a side capable of staying near the top.

The new managers will eventually be judged on trophies, qualification and the football they create. Their first month is simpler.

Win enough matches to buy time. Arteta already has it.