Arsenal start off Premier League season with a 7- goal thriller v victory

If Arsenal wanted to start their season off on a positive note and with a bang, they certainly succeeded Friday when they overcame Leicester 4- 3. Having lost their last two season openers, Arsenal did well to get the win this time. But if they really want to challenge for the title, they need to tighten up ship and avoid too many of these shootout thrillers.

The game was Arsenal at its best and worst, with a lot of excitement, drama and disbelief. Most Arsenal fans have probably developed strong hearts to cope with all the frustration over the years, but the way in which Leicester took the game to them may have made a few Gunners queasy and jittery.

Arsenal’s big summer buy Alexander Lacazette got a dream start when he scored in the 94th second of the game, only for Leicester to equalize within minutes. By the 83rd minute, Leicester were leading 3- 2 thanks to two goals by Jamie Vardy. But Aaron Ramsey equalized in that minute, and warhorse Olivier Giroud came up with a header two minutes later for the late winner.

As much as Arsenal’s big guns were blazing, their defense was another story. With Laurent Koscielny suspended, and Shkodran Mustafi and Per Mertesacker injured, their backline was improvisational. By the time Ramsey had scored, it was even more so as Arsenal had no proper center backs on the field. Their other Premiership debutant Sead Kolasinac had a steady game with little sign of nerves. Given the Gunners face old foe Stoke next weekend, Kolasinac will be in for a proper physical test. Arsenal were also missing Alexis Sanchez, who was also supposedly injured but was still reportedly linked with exiting the club. But the Sanchez saga aside, Arsene Wenger should focus on finding a future replacement for Santi Cazorla and trimming down Arsenal’s bloated squad.

Leicester, meanwhile, gave a sharp reminder of how they won the league two seasons ago. Though they only had 30 percent possession, they made it count with sharp counter- attacks and opportunistic goal poaching. For some reason,r they have a poor recent record against Arsenal, having lost four of their last five Premiership games, but three of those defeats were just by one goal. Vardy loves scoring against Arsenal, having scored five goals in these five games. If Leicester have fully overcome the mysterious league slump that plagued them for the first half of last season, a top- eight finish might not be out of the question.

It is clear that for both of these teams, attacking soccer is their No. 1 plan.