What a difference a year makes
On one of the first truly cold days of the season there was a chill in the atmosphere leading up to Arsenal's Premier League clash with Brentford. The similarities between last season where in the hours leading up to kick off it became obvious that the Gunners would be without key players were eerie.
Whereas for the opening day of last season it became apparent that Mikel Arteta would be without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette on that day in August last year (yes it was only last season!), 13 months later, Arsenal were to be without their captain Martin Odegaard and one of their most influential players in Oleksandr Zinchenko. Several others within the squad were battling on through knocks and it was impossible to shake the feeling that this was a game that the Gunners typically struggle in.
