Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal's commanding 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City at Cardiff's Principality Stadium sets the benchmark for the upcoming season. Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring after just 23 seconds, the fastest goal in this fixture since 1968, slotting home Myles Lewis-Skelly's pass. Kai Havertz doubled the lead on 28 minutes before captain Martin Ødegaard added a third early in the second half.

City deployed new signings Erling Haaland and £116 million ($157 million) midfielder Elliot Anderson but struggled to create meaningful pressure against Arsenal's disciplined display. Arteta praised his team's desire and preparation, stating, "They really wanted to win the competition because it is something that we earned last year. Very impressed in the manner we played, especially in the manner that we competed. That is the standard for us."

The Arsenal boss also reiterated his push for Premier League squad expansion after leaving Gabriel Martinelli, Ethan Nwaneri, and Gabriel Jesus out of the matchday squad. "I've been trying to persuade the Premier League and the clubs to be able to extend the number of players that we can have," Arteta said. "We're playing more and more games and the load is unreal."

Arsenal open their Premier League campaign on Friday against Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium.