Arsenal could hardly have asked for a more convincing start to their title defence. They arrived at the Principality Stadium as Premier League champions, dispatched Manchester City 3-0, and played with the authority their new status demands.

For Mikel Arteta, however, that is unlikely to be enough. Winning the title has answered the question that haunted Arsenal for the previous three seasons, but posed another: How do you improve a team that is already winning? It is a challenge Arteta will relish. He is determined to exploit every margin, and leave no stone unturned in his search for improvement.

Shortly before kick-off, Arteta spoke to TNT Sports about his expectations for the coming season. "We recognise the big margins that we have to be much better as a team, and much better individually. And then that has to be supported by the ambition of the club, which is there. Unquestionable."

A well-oiled machine

The clues to Arsenal's enduring hunger were there in the off-the-ball actions of the players, in their body language, and in the way that every duel seemed to mean so much to them, even in a fixture that still prompts debate among many football fans as to whether winning it actually qualifies as a trophy.

Arteta smiled afterwards when a reporter highlighted examples of three Arsenal players — Gabriel, the defender's international team-mate and new signing Bruno Guimaraes, and Ben White — revelling in making a challenge or a block on an opponent.

"When you put your soul and your heart into a reaction, that's what happens," the Arsenal manager said.

Indeed, the underlying message felt clear at the Principality Stadium: Arsenal supporters might still be basking in the glow of their first league title in 22 years, but Arteta and his players are as driven and ambitious as ever, hell-bent on holding onto the trophy that the club took so long to reclaim.

"Because you want to go through it again," Arteta explained. "When the desire comes, I want to live that moment again, I want to live all the moments, even bigger than them. We know what it's going to take, we know the difficulty of the task, that's why we've never done it at this football club (in the Premier League era). So we know that it's going to demand something special and we are ready for it."

Tactical cohesion and new arrivals shine

Arsenal looked what they are: a well-oiled machine where all the individual roles are clearly defined, where the movement patterns are familiar — Riccardo Calafiori making runs on the inside on the left, White overlapping on the outside on the right as soon as the wide attacker shifts infield — and where a way of consistently winning matches has long been established. And no, that didn't involve a set-piece goal against City, in case you were wondering.

The goals themselves were a testament to Arsenal's blend of established stars and new arrivals. Myles Lewis-Skelly opened the scoring with a lovely disguised pass after only 24 seconds, feeding Kai Havertz for the opener. Christos Tzolis, the £34million signing from Club Brugge, marked his competitive debut with two assists — creating goals for Havertz and Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian captain capped an outstanding performance with an audacious finish, receiving a pass from Tzolis, dummying not once but twice before slotting past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

"Can we play you every week?" sang the Arsenal supporters after Odegaard made a fool out of Donnarumma. "Are you Tottenham in disguise?" followed moments later.

Guimaraes, signed from Newcastle for £75million, slotted seamlessly into the Arsenal midfield, playing 45 combative minutes before making way for Declan Rice — illustrative of the embarrassment of midfield riches at Arteta's disposal. Mikel Merino, a World Cup winner, had recently suggested that Arsenal now have the best midfield in football, a line that brought a grin to Arteta's face when it was put to him.

Strength in depth on full display

As the game got away from City and Arteta started to make widespread changes, there was a reminder of Arsenal's strength in depth. Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Piero Hincapie, Viktor Gyokeres, and Eberechi Eze all came off the bench. Merino was an unused substitute, along with the gifted teenager Max Dowman. As for Gabriel Martinelli, Ethan Nwaneri, and Gabriel Jesus, they didn't even make the cut.

David Raya continued to serve up reminders as to why he's considered the best goalkeeper in the Premier League — drilling 40-yard passes into Tzolis with his feet and effortlessly claiming crosses while making an outstanding save to keep out Antoine Semenyo's late effort.

City's struggles and the wider picture

It's true that the Community Shield is rarely a reliable yardstick for what's to come — only eight of its 34 winners before Sunday's game have gone on to claim the Premier League title. This year's curtain-raiser featured a number of players making their first club appearance of any description this summer because of the World Cup. It's a safe bet that Erling Haaland, who was one of those players, won't be substituted again after 53 minutes this season unless he's injured.

Equally, some potentially broader issues were impossible to ignore in Cardiff, not least how different Manchester City's midfield looks without the effervescent Bernardo Silva and the influence of Rodri. It's unthinkable that City allow Rodri to leave this summer without signing a replacement.

City, Liverpool, and Chelsea all have new managers, while Michael Carrick is about to embark on his first full season in charge of Manchester United. The contrast with Arsenal, where Arteta is now the longest-serving manager in English football's top four divisions, is stark.

As Enzo Maresca gave his post-match press conference, the sound of DJ Khaled's All I Do Is Win could be heard blaring from the Arsenal dressing room. "We know what we are," sang the Arsenal fans. In a Premier League where so many of their rivals are coming to grips with a new identity, that could be Arsenal's biggest advantage.

Arteta, however, has repeatedly referred to the Community Shield as "a final." He believes winning is a habit — one he is keen to see become ingrained at Arsenal. It seems the team are ready to embrace their new ideology of dominance.