If the Emirates Cup is anything to go by, Arsenal fans are in for a treat this season, as the Gunners welcomed Champions League opposition in Sevilla to North London and simply tore them to shreds.
Granted, Julen Lopetegui's side are not the defensive force that they used to be in the days of Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos, but Mikel Arteta's side surely surprised themselves with their level of ruthlessness.
By the 20th minute, Arsenal had already put four past Bono in the Sevilla goal, and there were two more strikes to come from the Gunners in the second half to round off a perfect afternoon in which both sides also paid tribute to the late Jose Antonio Reyes.
Here, Sports Mole examines five talking points from Arsenal's recent Emirates Cup win as they prepare to return to Premier League action.
Electrifying Jesus
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Even before the first ball was kicked at the Emirates Cup, Gabriel Jesus was the talk of the town. Already starring in pre-season with four goals from his previous four games, the sparkling Brazilian was here, there and everywhere in the final third.
Always renowned for his versatility, which Arteta touched upon after the game, Jesus was not afraid to receive the ball out wide and daze the Sevilla defence with his tricky footwork, and finding his teammates was not a problem for the 25-year-old either.
While Jesus's all-around play was impressive as ever, Arsenal have brought the South American in for the goals that Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could not provide in 2021, and he delivered in an electrifying Emirates debut.
Two of Jesus's strikes came from the ex-Manchester City man anticipating a mistake and being in the right place at the right time to prod home, and his movement to meet Gabriel Martinelli's sublime cross for his second on the day was inch-perfect.
Scoring a hat-trick on your Emirates Stadium debut is a foolproof method of endearing yourself to the Arsenal faithful, and man-of-the-match recipient Jesus now has a lot to live up to in the coming months.
Saka holds his nerve
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Fantasy football players take note, as Bukayo Saka once again took on the responsibility from the penalty spot to confirm that he has banished the Euro 2020 demons still haunting England fans.
After newly-appointed captain Martin Odegaard found Saka inside the area - not the only neat piece of link-up play we have become accustomed to seeing from the duo - Karim Rekik simply barged Saka over before Sevilla protested in a futile manner.
Even with the Palanganas players trying everything they could to put the 20-year-old off - hardly in the spirit of a supposed friendly match - Saka only had eyes for the bottom corner and found it after some interesting tactics from Bono.
The Hale End academy graduate also found the back of the net from 12 yards against Chelsea and Manchester United last year, and one should not expect Saka to shy away from penalty responsibilities in the Premier League either.
Steadfast Saliba
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Gooners have been patiently waiting for three years to see William Saliba at the Emirates Stadium in an Arsenal shirt, and after demonstrating plenty of promise during his loan spells elsewhere, the 21-year-old delivered.
Saliba had already been given the seal of approval by Arteta after the 4-0 win over Chelsea and followed it up with a calm and composed showing at the Emirates, during which he acted in a back four with Gabriel Magalhaes alongside him, with Ben White at right-back in place of the injured Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Over the course of the 90 minutes, Saliba barely put a foot wrong. The France international demonstrated his ability to remain calm under pressure and play out from the back, as well as being an imposing figure defensively.
The centre-back's pass accuracy was a highlight of his time at Marseille, and he registered a 93.3% success rate while also winning both of his ground duels, but there is still room for improvement.
Saliba only won two of his five aerial duels on the day, but the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year has staked his claim for a regular place in the Arsenal backline, which could spell trouble for treatment-room regular Tomiyasu if White holds his spot on the right-hand side.
Harmonising high press
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Much like his former master Pep Guardiola, Arteta has frequently emphasised the importance of winning the ball high up the field, something which Arsenal may have struggled to execute to perfection under his predecessors.
However, the Gunners pressed high to wonderful effect against Sevilla, and such a desire to win the ball as high up as possible led to their fourth goal on the day, as Bono passed straight to Saka under pressure.
The attacker did not even take a touch before slotting home, and while Arsenal did take their foot off the gas slightly in the second half, Los Palanganas simply could not cope with the merciless high press of Arteta's crop in the early exchanges.
As soon as Sevilla got the game back underway after conceding one of their first-half goals, Arsenal's backline immediately pushed forward and very nearly reached the halfway line, while the likes of Jesus and Martinelli demonstrated the type of intensity that Arteta admires.
Arsenal were notably outfought physically against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last summer, and with their next trip to Patrick Vieira's side coming as soon as Friday, getting in that pressing practice against Sevilla was of paramount importance.
Arteta admission
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Arsenal could thump Real Madrid 5-0 in the Champions League final and Mikel Arteta would still refuse to get carried away. The Spaniard kept a cool head after the 4-0 win over Chelsea and did not change his tune on Saturday.
Keen to stress that the Emirates Cup was nothing more than a "test match", Arteta insisted that his side still have a lot to improve on, with Sevilla managing to break through the lines on more than one occasion before ultimately being thwarted.
The Gunners manager also confirmed that his side are still hoping to be active in the transfer market in the next few weeks, despite spending big to bring Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Matt Turner and Marquinhos to the club.
Injury problems for Tomiyasu, Emile Smith Rowe and Kieran Tierney are already bedevilling the Gunners before the season has begun, but Arsenal did not hesitate to loan out Nuno Tavares to Marseille following Zinchenko's arrival.
A new face in the midfield is still thought to be on the agenda for Arsenal, but even if the transfer window has now closed for business for the Gunners, the Emirates faithful are heading into the new season with a renewed sense of hope.
Ben Knapton
