The first game at the Emirates threw up a lot of questions, which Arsene Wenger will need to address quickly, but there were also signs of encouragement, that the Gunners can cope without Robin Van Persie and Alex Song, and still compete at the highest level.
Do not forget, this was the first weekend of the new English Premier League season, almost all the big teams struggled. Manchester City snuck a 3-2 win, while Chelsea were lacklustre for 80 minutes, but were helped by the early goals. Liverpool lost 3-0 while Tottenham went down 2-1 to an impressive Newcastle side.
The two title contenders, however, despite not being at their best, picked up three points, while Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw by Sunderland.
That is something that Arsene Wenger will hope to instil in his rather experienced squad - the winning mentality. The only thing that lacks at Arsenal is that mentality - from being pretenders to actual contenders. Having that winning feeling helps a team go over the line, which is why Sir Alex Ferguson has been so successful over the years.
Which is probably why a lot of Arsenal fans and pundits, point to that fateful day, when the Gunners threw away the League Cup title to Birmingham City. That win would have spurred, what was then a relatively young squad, onto bigger things.
Winning is as a habit, and that habit has worn out at the Emirates ever since the 'Invincibles' era. Wenger has a new team now, a new project. Gone are the players that promised much, but ultimately failed to deliver when it came to the crunch. While people blame Wenger for the lack of success, a lot of the blame also lies with the players.
Wenger has realized that; and while some of the sales might have been forced, he has understood the importance of bringing in experience. Gone are the steady stream of teenagers and players in their early 20s. Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud are all in their mid 20s. They have been there and done that before.
Cazorla has won the European championship with Spain. Podolski has enjoyed much success with Germany. Giroud is coming off a brilliant season, where he helped Montpellier clinch the French League title. You also have the brilliance and immense experience of a Mikel Arteta, while Theo Walcott has grown up. There are still youngsters in the squad, no doubt, Wenger will never completely abandon that. But what Arsenal fans can take from the Sunderland game, was the experience on the pitch.
It was a frustrating game, with the pace sometimes excruciatingly slow. However, the back-four was covered pretty well by Arteta and Abou Diaby. Apart from the one chance for James McClean, Sunderland rarely threatened.
With Song gone, Arteta, particularly, knows his role. Sometimes the Spaniard has been caught upfield, because Song was on the pitch and was expected to cover the back-four. However, with the Cameroon international enjoying his own forage to the attacking half, there have been several instances where the defense has been exposed.
You do not need a hard-nosed, hard-tackling midfielder, which Song was far from, to protect the back-four. The deep-lying midfield role is as much about awareness, as it is about tackling and winning the ball. Arteta, and when the move is confirmed, Sahin has those capabilities in them. The Gunners are also covered with Francis Coquelin, an extremely talented defensive midfielder, and Emmanuel Frimpong, when he returns from injury. Yann M'Vila, if signed, could also be a great addition.
Of course, the best deep lying playmaker of them all in Jack Wilshere will arrive on the Emirates pitch soon.
Wenger was quick to point out; it was not the finishing, apart from the chance missed by Giroud, but the build-up that was flawed against Sunderland. The passing was not quick enough, to be expected, to a certain extent, from the first game of the season. Where a little luck here or there was needed, like received by Chelsea and City, Arsenal were left short.
Cazorla, who was the best player for Arsenal, will need to play up the pitch a little more. A lot of times he was caught playing too deep, owing to the slowness of the creation. That will change no doubt, given time, because when near the 18-yard box, the Spanish playmaker looked deadly.
That moment of magic also never came, which was in such immense supply with Van Persie last season. Gervinho impressed with his weaving runs down the left, but the end product is still lacking; however there is no doubt that the Ivorian has improved from last season and will only go from strength to strength.
The loss of Van Persie is a big one, no doubt, but there were encouraging signs in the Sunderland game, of an Arsenal playing as a team and not relying on one individual, very much in tune with the ethos preached by Wenger.
Arsenal need to fire soon if they are to be called serious title contenders; but for the fans, who have been so patient for the last seven years, some more of that patience will be needed. It is a 38-game season, after all. It is only one game down, there is still time.
