Mikel Arteta heaped praise on new signing Christos Zoulis after Arsenal’s opener Premier League Defending the title with a 3-0 win over Coventry City, while the Gunners boss also denied reports that Bruno Guimaraes would be out for weeks.
The Gunners secured victory over newly promoted Coventry thanks to goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
Tzoulis, who assisted twice in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend, was again impressive in his first league match at the Emirates Stadium.
The Greek international sent the cross that led to Saka passing for the second goal, and Arteta is happy with what he has seen from Tzoulis until this moment.
“The way he played in the last few matches was amazing,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference. “He has an incredible variety of movements in the final third.”
Arsenal coach rejects Guimaraes reports
Guimaraes, the Arsenal player who arrived from Newcastle United, missed the match due to a hamstring injury.
There were reports that Guimarães could face a long layoff, but Arteta allayed those fears.
Arteta replied: “We don’t expect this to continue for weeks at all. Let’s see how this week develops.”
Arteta praised Arsenal’s overall display against Coventry, telling Sky Sports: “There was a lot to like, we were really flowing with the ball and communicating with each other.
“The overall performance was very positive.”
Coventry’s first top flight game in 25 years is unlikely to be the one that will decide their fate as they look to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
But Frank Lampard believes there is a lot his team can benefit from.
“Obviously this is a big challenge,” Lampard told Sky Sports. “A great team, a good lesson for our boys to learn the levels.
“They played like champions. It was a difficult match for us, and the experience was probably good for us in terms of the stadium, the atmosphere at the start of the match, and the quality they have. When you concede goals, it’s not great from us and that’s the reality.”
“You’ll see more from us than that. Arsenal will beat a lot of teams here. There were some things I didn’t mind. The players deserve better than that. Our support has been amazing. They understand we lost the game and they will learn a lesson.”
