Martin Odegaard sent a stark warning to Arsenal’s rivals following the side’s statement Community Shield victory over Manchester City, claiming he ‘wants to win everything’ over the coming season.
Goals from Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Odegaard ensured the English champions picked up the first piece of silverware on offer this term, with City offering very little by way of response at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Summer signing Christos Tzolis shone in the Welsh capital, assisting Havertz and Odegaard either side of half-time after Calafiori had opened the scoring just 23 seconds into the contest.
Bruno Guimaraes was also handed his debut following a high-profile £75million summer move from Newcastle and looked comfortable in the middle of the park alongside the impressive Myles-Lewis Skelly.
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Mikel Arteta’s men will no doubt be looking to carry their barnstorming form into the opening match of their Premier League title defence when they play host to newly promoted Coventry City at the Emirates on Friday.
Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, will be under pressure to oversee immediate improvements on the back of a lacklustre and disjointed performance from City, who kick off their top-flight campaign at home to Bournemouth in a week’s time.
‘We played some brilliant football, we showed our level,’ Arsenal captain Odegaard said shortly after the final whistle.
‘We showed we’re ready, serious and want to do it again.
‘We want to attack it. When you get a taste of how nice it is, you want to do it again.
‘We want to win everything.’
Facing the media after the Gunners’ triumph, Arteta reserved special praise for new boy Tzolis, highlighting the winger’s ‘intelligence’ and ‘quality’ in the final third.
‘He’s come into the team and really organically he’s fitted in,’ the Arsenal head coach told reporters.
‘He’s a really intelligent boy, and he has a massive quality, which is that in the last 30 metres, he is so composed to pick people out in and around the box or to finish.
‘He has shown that two or three times, and he was decisive.’
Asked if there was room for improvement in Tzolis’ game, the Spaniard added: ‘With more quality around him, the numbers will be higher. It is not a coincidence.
‘He is a really consistent player in everything he does and, yes, I’m really impressed with him.’
Arsenal have now lifted the Community Shield on 18 occasions in their history – just three short of Manchester United’s total, who hold the record with 21 victories.
Arteta has steered the north Londoners to three of these wins as a manager, lifting the prize in 2020 and 2023 prior to the team’s latest triumph.
He also won the Community Shield twice as a player, first in 2014 and then again 12 months later.
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