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Five Arsenal stars brutally learn where they stand as Gunners cruise past Coventry Arsenal's Premier League title defence got up and rolling with an ominous victory over Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal made a statement to their Premier League rivals with a cutting-edge victory over Coventry City. Kai Havertz scored the first goal of their title defence, sweeping home from 18-yards after the Gunners won the ball high up in the Coventry penalty area. Minutes later, Bukayo Saka capitalised on a mistake from Carl Rushworth to double the north Londoners lead, before Martin Odegaard's scuffed effort after half-time made the game 3-0. Mikel Arteta's side could have scored more against Frank Lampard's newly-promoted Coventry, who will perhaps be pleased to have not lost by more goals. Summer signing Christos Tzolis impressed again off the left-flank for an Arsenal side who were not even able to call upon £75m man Bruno Guimaraes and the recently announced new signing Ezri Konsa. After their solid win, here are five talking points from the Emirates Stadium. Four stars sent brutal message by Arteta Things are looking particularly grim for Gabriel Martinelli. He was excluded from the squad for the Community Shield and could only watch as Arsenal lifted the trophy in Cardiff. On this occasion he was dropped once more, yet there was room for Ethan Nwaneri, who was also missing last Sunday, strongly suggesting Martinelli simply does not feature in Mikel Arteta's current thinking (barring any fitness concerns). The Brazilian has attracted attention from Galatasaray, Qatari outfit Al-Sadd and Al-Hilal but appears no closer to settling his future. Arsenal are yet to identify a top placement for Martinelli, though the manner in which he is being treated still feels rather unforgiving given he helped the club achieve Premier League glory last term. The fact that Tzolis is dazzling isn't helping his cause either, as Martinelli was underwhelming in the pre-season friendlies he featured in following his return from the World Cup. He ought to have come back hungrier than ever to turn things around, but it appears to have nudged him ever closer to the exit door. Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson were likewise absent and the writing appears to be on the wall for the trio. Gyokeres' snubbed Arteta utilised all five substitutes but opted against introducing Viktor Gyokeres. That appears noteworthy considering the player has been connected with moves to Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in recent weeks. We cannot confirm whether additional factors influenced the decision, such as a fitness concern, but presently it's evident the Swede sits behind Kai Havertz in Arsenal's attacking hierarchy. Arteta clearly isn't afraid to be ruthless, as demonstrated with Martinelli, though he may simply be attempting to provoke a response from Gyokeres as he seeks to elevate the Gunners to greater heights. The Premier League champions have held discussions with Atletico Madrid in recent days regarding various players and the Gunners have registered an interest in Alvarez, albeit not at the current valuation it would require for Atletico to genuinely contemplate a sale. They anticipate he will remain for the time being as Alvarez's desired transfer to Barcelona is off the table. There has additionally been speculation regarding a pursuit of Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen, so we shall have to observe what unfolds in the closing stages of the summer window. For the moment, nothing ought to be dismissed because there's a feeling Arsenal could execute something genuinely audacious, particularly in an attacking capacity. They feature on August 31 versus Aston Villa and the subsequent day is transfer deadline day. Let's see what emerges. Tzolis Arsenal's creator in chief Whoever identified Christos Tzolis as a replacement for Leandro Trossard - Andrea Berta of Maurizio Michelli - was absolutely spot on. The parallels are plain for everyone to see, yet Tzolis appears marginally sharper, which is hardly surprising given his younger age. He may never become an absolute world-class superstar, but Arsenal supporters are going to adore him for his consistency, effectiveness and relentless determination. Tzolis is a magnet for assists, creating chances with regularity, his decision-making in the final third is razor-sharp and he is equally comfortable on either foot. Every ingredient is in place for Tzolis to shine this season at the Emirates, and he already appears to be an exceptionally shrewd acquisition at just £34million. Should he be credited with the assist for Bukayo Saka, it would mean he has now registered a goal contribution (goal or assist) in 21 of his last 22 club appearances. It is a remarkable record and what makes it even more extraordinary is the sole exception: the recent friendly draw with Como, where Tzolis still managed to leave his mark by firing home the decisive penalty in the shootout. He appears to be a combination of both Trossard and Alexis Sanchez, who was a firm fan-favourite at N5 before his ill-fated move to Manchester United. Calafiori starts campaign well again Riccardo Calafiori featured in the opening 15 Premier League matches last season, firmly cementing himself in the left-back position despite the arrival of Piero Hincapie. By the season's conclusion, however, Hincapie was handed a starting berth in the Champions League final, though the Italian is believed to have been dealing with a fitness concern. Calafiori has launched the 2026-27 campaign in superb attacking form, first breaking the deadlock in the Community Shield in Cardiff before setting up Kai Havertz for the opening goal of the new season. The defender is an outstanding athlete when performing at his peak, yet persistent injury issues have hampered his development since joining Arsenal from Bologna in the summer of 2024. Nobody can question that when Calafiori is at his best, he ranks amongst Europe's finest full-backs, possessing the ability to influence matches at both ends of the pitch. Hincapie is equally a formidable contender - there is little doubt he will earn his share of minutes and opportunities this campaign - but when Calafiori is performing in this manner, the position is his to lose. Rice and Saka surprise starts Declan Rice featured in a whopping 69 games for Arsenal and England last season. Only new £117million Chelsea signing Morgan Rogers (71) played more across Europe's top-five domestic leagues. Had anyone suggested following the World Cup, where Rice endured crippling neural hamstring pain and Saka battled an Achilles issue, that both players would be lining up for the opening fixture of the new Premier League season, it would have seemed utterly unthinkable. Yet here, both started from the outset and looked sharp as Saka got off the mark, scoring Arsenal's second, after a purposeful forward run from Rice. Without wishing to play devil's advocate, perhaps it would be somewhat naïve of Arteta to assume both players can simply pick up where they left off as though it were any ordinary season. Granted, they have enjoyed an extended rest period, but it is a demanding campaign and the fixture list shows no mercy. The pace of their reintroduction has been mildly unexpected. Arsenal face a challenging start to the season, and it is hard to imagine Arteta dropping either player from the starting XI at Aston Villa, with Chelsea due at home shortly afterwards. However, if their fitness is not carefully managed now, it hardly requires a medical professional to foresee potential repercussions later in the campaign. Both were replaced after 66 minutes.