Former Chelsea player Ashley Cole has stated that Arsenal are the ‘strongest’ team in the Premier League and will be motivated by the ‘confidence’ and ‘belief’ they acquired from winning the title last season.
Arsenal kicked off their title defence in impressive style, securing a 3-0 victory against newly promoted Coventry, with goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard against Frank Lampard’s team at the Emirates.
This emphatic win occurred just five days after the Gunners triumphed over Manchester City by the same scoreline to claim the Community Shield, marking the 18th time the club has achieved this honour in its history.
Mikel Arteta’s squad aims to continue their momentum when they face Aston Villa away, managed by their former coach Unai Emery, who has had a challenging start to the season, suffering a 4-0 defeat at Brighton.
The reigning English champions will then focus on what is expected to be a captivating match at home against their fierce rivals Chelsea, a significant clash between Cole’s two former teams.
The Blues also began their campaign with a victory, defeating local rivals Fulham on Monday night, with Cole Palmer appearing to regain his form and Morgan Rogers scoring on his official debut for Chelsea.
When asked to predict the eventual champions, Cole said on Sky Sports, “I think it’s too early to say.
“I believe Arsenal appears to be the strongest with their new additions and the confidence and belief stemming from their remarkable season last year. However, it is still too early to determine.”
Cole expressed optimism regarding Chelsea’s performance against Fulham and believes Xabi Alonso will be ‘delighted’ with the response he received from his players.
“Every job is challenging; it’s about the response you elicit from your players,” said the former England left-back, who won the Premier League title with Chelsea in the 2009/10 season.