Premier League

Very high and, for once, calm rather than euphoric. Six points from six, no goals conceded in the league and a well-managed win at Villa Park have established the idea of a team that now knows how to win tight matches. Mikel Arteta put it himself after the game: when they had to suffer, the team suffered, and when they had to dominate, they dominated. Riccardo Calafiori describes a squad in which even the forwards track back, and in which the new signings have blended in within a few weeks. The only doubt observers keep raising concerns attacking depth, not attitude.

Richard Garlick's interview on the Men in Blazers podcast, published on 2 September, describes a deliberately tight chain of decision-making: Andrea Berta and James King negotiate, Mikel Arteta and Josh Kroenke sign off, with the executive ensuring it all adds up financially. Garlick presents that alignment as a competitive advantage and stresses the stability brought by the American owner. No tension between the head coach, the dressing room and the board is reported by the sources consulted. The club has also kept moving its young players on, with goalkeeper Tommy Setford's loan to Stevenage announced on 1 September.

The crowd gave a mixed reception to former Villa player Ezri Konsa, but the general mood remains buoyant after a perfect start to the season.

Non-existent in the short term, and unusually low even for an Arsenal manager. Mikel Arteta comes into September as reigning champion, with a Community Shield won 3-0 against Manchester City and a perfect league record. The board's public message, which openly talks of a dynasty, effectively grants him a long horizon rather than a test to pass. The one thing that could turn against him is the decision not to add a top-level striker at the end of the window, a call he will have to own if the attack stalls.

Retaining the title and going deep in the Champions League, with an institutional message that no longer hides it: Richard Garlick talks of serial champions and the start of a period of dominance across every competition. The first concrete marker is the clash with Chelsea on 6 September, between two teams on six points from six. In the medium term, the board is committed to a strategy of growing commercial revenue to fund the squad without unbalancing the books. Sky Sports points out, however, that the failure of the Álvarez and Vinícius Júnior pursuits leaves the attack shorter than last season, which makes managing the minutes of Christos Tzolis and Max Dowman decisive.

Nothing adversarial internally, but an established public debate about the shape of the attack. On 2 September Sky Sports devoted an analysis to the fact that four attacking players left for a single recognised signing in that area, Christos Tzolis, after the Julián Álvarez, Vinícius Júnior and Morgan Rogers pursuits fell through. The volume of minutes the Greek will have to absorb, already heavily used at Brugge, is presented as the main physical risk of the season. No player or executive, however, has publicly expressed disagreement, and Arteta has kept up a demanding message, saying he wants players who are never satisfied.