Talking points from Arsenal's opening game against Manchester City

Unai Emery suffered defeat in his debut game against Spanish counterpart Pep Guardiola's side. Manchester City ended the evening with a 2-0 win over Arsenal. Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva snatched a goal in each half for the Manchester side. Arsenal, however, were far from poor. Despite the defeat, there were a bunch of positives to take away from the game as well.

That it was a difficult task to have a team play a new tactical game especially against a team like Manchester City was an undeniable fact even before the season kicked off. The game on Sunday only goes to show that Emery still has a bunch of work to do on the squad. With any new boss, it is always going to take a while until the team fully understands the manager and his tactics before they can work together smoothly. Let's take a look at five talking points from the game:

1. Despite loss, Arsenal looked like a confident side

While a game against the defending champions seemed a bit early for the new boss, the Arsenal side started quite strong as they hosted the Citizens in their first game of the season. Despite Manchester City's outstanding use of ball possession, it was clear that Emery's men were also taking City head-on, backtracking and winning the ball back upon losing possession in the first half.

Arsenal played the game out from the back (something that, clearly, Emery wants to continue doing) but it was the defence that ultimately cost them the game with Cech also being rather unconvincing in his efforts.

Emery made his decision on the team unabashedly and doesn't seem to have a soft spot for any player, making his selection unbiased. If a player performs, he's in and if he doesn't, he will need to prove himself for a place in the squad. The manager was also quick in making changes when something was not working well and he proved this when he switched Xhaka for Torreira in midfield.

All in all, it was a decent opening game, one with lots to consider for the players and especially for Emery in his team preparations and tactical changes. The outcome was not unexpected considering the opponent and the fact that Arsenal is, currently, a work in progress.

2. The champions still look lethal, but the competition is still on

Arsenal FC v Manchester City - Premier League

The defending champions looked sharp as ever in their first away game, looking as hungry for victory as they were last season.

The team looks determined to retain the title and proved that not only with goals from Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva, but also with their attacking prowess and crisp passing capabilities.

However, City appeared to have given away a number of easy chances and had they been converted, the game would have finished with a starkly different score-line. This was partly because of Arsenal's Petr Cech, who looked unsure for most of the game, but who did make a bunch of crucial saves particularly one that denied Aymeric Laporte a close-range goal.

While Guardiola's side definitely look like they could become the first club in a decade to retain the Premier League trophy, it appears his players may run a risk of being exhausted early in the game once they face opponents who know how to track them down. And since the league is, arguably, the most competitive domestic league out there, the Manchester side will definitely face tough competition.

3. Lot of work to do defensively

Arsenal FC v Manchester City - Premier League

The decision to choose Cech over Leno did not go in vain: despite the veteran keeper's mistakes between the posts, he did make some crucial saves on Sunday.

Cech made 42 passes and only five of them went into the opponent's half. He made 57 touches in all making Matteo Guendouzi (with 72) the only Arsenal player to have more.

It became clear that Leno is more suited to play out from the back than Cech is, making the German better suited to the task that Emery has planned for his keepers.

Arsenal v Manchester City - Premier League

Maitland-Niles struggled defensively but that is expected for such a young player who is not even technically a defender. Even the more experienced Sokratis struggled to stifle the fast Manchester City attack.

Despite having shown incredible character for a 19-year-old, young Guendouzi's inexperience was also evident throughout which leads to the question of why Emery overlooked the much-hyped Torreira and Mohamed Elneny to pick the youngster. The only time we looked solid defensively was when Lichtsteiner replaced Maitland-Niles in the second half.

Emery may have brought in replacements but he really needs to figure out how to make the best use of each of them.