Arsenal will arrive at the Brentford Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon aiming to banish the memory of their disastrous opening night defeat on the same ground 13 months earlier.
Thomas Frank had guided Brentford into the Premier League for the first time in their history only to discover the Gunners were their first test. Many hadn't given them much hope, but the Bees sprung quite the surprise and toppled Mikel Arteta's side 2-0 on the night with a goal either side of half-time.
It would be the first of three horror showings for Arsenal, who lost all of their first three games of the season last time out. While the other two were a 2-0 home loss against Chelsea and a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City, it was the game against Brentford that inspired the most criticism and ridicule.
After the game, Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher was scathing in his assessment of Arsenal's opening night display. "It's just Arsenal. Weak. Bullied. Men against boys again. New season, same old story," he declared.
"We've seen these problems last season and in years gone by, Arsenal fans have ridiculed Spurs over the years, calling them 'Spursy' for different things. But this is an Arsenal performance. I think we all know what that is now."
Fast forward to just over a year and a typical Gunners performance couldn't look more different. Nowadays, Arteta's side displays a kind of swashbuckling attacking flair that would make former boss Arsene Wenger smile. The days of the current manager's defensive, pragmatic are not entirely behind them, but are a distant memory nonetheless.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Arsenal finish in the top four this season? Comment below
Which is, in truth, the perfect balance. Arteta is close to building a side that many would deem 'just right' in its mix of technical quality and defensive resilience. It is important to be side, that the same side does not include too many players who lined up against Brentford last year.
Just five of the starting 11 that night will play any part for Arsenal this season, with the rest either exiled out on loan or have left for good. Bernd Leno was replaced with his more modern upgrade Aaron Ramsdale, while Calum Chambers was sold at a cut-price fee to Aston Villa.
The central defensive pairing that night was Pablo Mari, who is now on loan at Italian outfit Monza with very little hope of a future at Arsenal, and Benjamin White.
The latter was purchased for £50million in a transfer that certainly sparked question marks about Arsenal's scouting, but the England international's technical ability has gone to become invaluable to the way Arteta sets up his side and the way they play out from the back.
Kieran Tierney took on the left-back role and while he is still a popular character around the place, he has also been dislodged as first-choice in his role to the more technically gifted Oleksandr Zinchenko. The former Manchester City man was signed for £35m this summer after more injuries to Tierney played a part in the derailment of Arsenal's season last time out.
Coincidentally, the same central midfield pairing 13 months ago in Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga is the same one that lined up for Arsenal's last league outing at Old Trafford. However, this is due to an injury to Thomas Partey, had the Ghanaian been fit it is unlikely Lokonga would be starting.
In an attacking sense, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe have remained key players at the Emirates and are both adored by the Arsenal faithful.
The same cannot be said for club-record signing Nicolas Pepe, who considered the Brentford clash one of his 20 league appearances last term, during which time he netted just one goal and now finds himself on loan at OGC Nice.
Folarin Balogun was forced to lead the line that night after both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette were ruled out after testing positive for Covid-19.
All three of those forwards are currently plying their trade elsewhere, with Balogun the only one due to return after his loan spell at Reims ends.
The Gunners line up this weekend will look so very different, packed to the rafters with stellar talent at both ends of the pitch. William Saliba will be at the heart of the defence, while ex-Real Madrid man and current Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard will be pulling the strings.
Four-time Premier League winner Gabriel Jesus is now Arsenal's starting central striker and has immediately raised the ceiling since his £45m arrival this summer, much like his former Etihad teammate Zinchenko.
Throughout this huge overhaul that has helped Arsenal approach this trip to Brentford with a lot more confidence, Arteta has been one of the few constants and the success of the Spaniard's transfer dealings supports the idea that he can be entrusted with the funds to transform the Gunners entirely.
