Ranking Arsenal's top 5 players from GW 1 of the Premier League
Arsenal's 2021-22 Premier League campaign got off to a terrible start, as Mikel Arteta's side fell to a 2-0 defeat at newly promoted Brentford.
The Gunners went into the game as favourites, but put in a lethargic performance that led to their downfall. Goals from Sergi Canos and Christian Norgaard were enough to secure the three points for Thomas Frank's side.
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta will hope that the loss was just a one-off, and Arsenal can turn around their fortunes against Chelsea on Sunday. On that note, here's a look at the top five Arsenal players from Gameweek 1 of the 2021-22 Premier League:
#5 Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka came on as a second-half substitute and instantly brought in new life and energy to Arsenal's game. The England international only returned to training last week, but seemed to adapt to the pace of the game seamlessly.
Even though he played only 31 minutes, Saka completed the most dribbles in the game. The 19-year-old also showed good link-up play with the likes of Kieran Tierney, Nicolas Pepe and Emile Smith-Rowe.
The winger definitely wasn't fully fit, but still put in a better performance than most of his teammates on the night. Mikel Arteta will hope that Saka starts firing on all cylinders sooner rather than later, as he will likely be a key player for Arsenal this season.
#4 Nicolas Pepe
Nicolas Pepe was one of the few players to show attacking impetus for Arsenal on the night. The Ivorian constantly tried to get down the right flank,k and put in crosses for the likes of Folarin Balogun to get on the end of.
However, the winger was often left frustrated by the lack of service, and was constantly double-teamed because of Callum Chambers' reluctance to overlap as a right-back. However, Pepe was a constant threat with his pace and movement, and did well to link up with Emile Smith-Rowe.
Following Folarin Balogun's substitution, the Ivorian was shifted into an unfamiliar centre-forward role, but managed to be more of a threat than the English youngster was for much of the game. Pepe also saw a rasping shot saved spectacularly by David Raya in the 87th minute of the game.
Expect the winger to only get better from here on.