Forget the opposition, the real debate is whether Arteta hands the striker's role to Havertz or Gyokeres, and how heavily he leans on Zubimendi, Saka and Rice with the World Cup break barely behind them.

There's a persistent line that Arsenal's makeshift defence without Saliba and Timber could be tested early by Coventry's direct, physical set-piece approach even if the class gap wins out.

Plenty of chatter treats this as more than a routine opener, framing it as an early public examination of whether the champions can carry their status from round one without any hint of complacency.

Coventry's history of pulling off a shock on the opening day of a previous top-flight return keeps getting raised as the classic banana-skin story, even by people who expect a comfortable home win.