Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, has acknowledged that he had self-doubt following the team’s opening-round defeats in the previous campaign.
On Sunday, Arteta leads the Gunners back to the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford with his team leading the Premier League.
It is a different scenario from 13 months ago when Arsenal suffered a shock 2-0 defeat on the opening day of last season.
It was also the first of three straight defeats to start the last campaign.
“I doubted myself, I questioned myself,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“This is part of a journey where – if you want to get better – you have to be self-critical.
“You have to have other people around you to tell you the truth and also have the humbleness to always be willing to get better, improve and explore other opinions and ways to do your job.”