Arsenal’s pre-season fixtures concluded yesterday with a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao within the Emirates Cup.
Listed here are my observations on what we noticed yesterday.
Gyokeres will get off the mark
There was a wierd quirk to the Swedish striker’s time at Sporting round headed targets – he didn’t get that a lot of them. In his ultimate season the place he scored 39 occasions within the Portuguese league, not a single one among them was a header. So, it was good to see him rating his first Arsenal purpose in a means not too many individuals would have predicted.
Martin Zubimendi curled in a beautiful cross, Gyokeres’ motion within the field was too good for the defender, and the header powered previous Unai Simon to make it 1-0. We nonetheless await his first aggressive purpose for the membership, however hopefully this can ease the stress a bit bit, and assist him really feel extra comfy in his new environment.
I do know we reside in a media world that causes some critical eye-rolling at occasions, however I noticed a headline yesterday that actually mentioned ‘Gyokeres proves doubters incorrect with good opening purpose for Arsenal’. It’s clearly absurd for every kind of causes, however that’s the surroundings by which gamers are being judged by some mainstream retailers. It’s all concerning the clicks, nevertheless it does have an effect on the discourse. Anyway, he scored purpose and there have been some promising indicators in the best way he received into positions and mixed with others. It’s nearly as if having a bit extra time has proved helpful.
Zubimendi is high quality
I mentioned on the weblog earlier than I felt a bit sorry for Martin Zubimendi. His signing had been telegraphed months beforehand, so a few of the shine was taken off it and other people have been a bit ‘meh’ about his arrival – significantly as the main focus was then all on the striker signing. I feel we noticed yesterday what he’s going to deliver to this crew. Not simply the help, however the all-round midfield play, the intelligence and safety he brings on the ball.
It was fairly attention-grabbing to notice that he and Declan Rice each operated in deep areas, rotating between themselves to drop between the centre-halves, and he appeared very comfy along with his companions in that space of the pitch. On his combos with Rice, Mikel Arteta mentioned afterwards:
With the qualities that they’ve and the best way they’ll complement one another in that area, we noticed one other evolution immediately on that and issues that the crew can actually profit from to be rather more unpredictable and be a way more menace, particularly from these inside positions.
How these two function in tandem this season goes to be fascinating. Rice, for me, is a pure 6 redeployed as an 8 as a result of he has the standard to do this; and whereas Zubimendi’s star has risen as primarily a deep-lying midfielder, it appears as if Arteta sees extra to his recreation than that. There’s a clamour for the supervisor to do issues in a different way, so right here’s a suggestion how a few of which may play out.
Perhaps it’s not fairly worthy of its personal headline, however I don’t assume you may speak about Zubimendi and Rice with out additionally acknowledging the position of Martin Odegaard in that midfield trio. I feel we’ve seen hints that he’s extra like his outdated self this pre-season, and he confirmed that yesterday too. It was his ball excessive that allowed Gabriel Martinelli present a tap-in for Bukayo Saka, and there have been some beautiful, artful ultimate third passes that opened up area for us to assault the opposition.
Kai Havertz scores once more
I hoped Kai Havertz would get himself a purpose yesterday. With the highlight very firmly on Gyokeres, I feel we nonetheless want to recollect he’s going to be a vital a part of this squad. Everybody loves the shiny new signing, however don’t overlook what you have already got. The best way he took his purpose was nearly precisely the way you’d need to script it. We’ve talked a lot about how we want channel the Swede’s direct working in behind the opposition defence, nevertheless it was Havertz who confirmed the way it’s achieved.
He ran onto a ball in behind, saved it below management, outpaced the defenders to offer the capturing probability, and completed completely. Not solely was he too fast for them, he was too sturdy for them – some proof all these gymnasium classes and that extra-muscularity has paid off. If Gyokeres had scored that purpose, individuals can be dropping their minds, so credit score the place it’s due and I’m backing each our strikers to attain a lot within the season forward.
Gabriel will get essential minutes
With Previous Trafford only a week away, it was essential to get some minutes into the legs of Gabriel. He performed for simply over an hour earlier than being changed by Cristhian Mosquera, and whereas we weren’t particularly troubled defensively, he appeared stable alongside William Saliba and comfy bodily. So too Jurrien Timber who performed 45 minutes, as did Riccardo Calafiori who performed the primary half at left-back.
I do know there’s such an enormous ‘if’ over the Italian with regards to his health, however I actually hope he can keep on high of that as a result of there’s such participant in there when he’s obtainable. It’s early days for Mosquera too, however to this point I like what I’ve seen. He appears very assured and calm, so let’s hope that augurs properly for aggressive appearances.
Penalties
It’s probably not that essential, however I really like high nook penalty, and a few the Athletic gamers actually put theirs away very properly. It was becoming that Zubimendi’s was the spot-kick to win it for us, however in a pleasant recreation I’m to not churlish to provide a ‘chapeau‘ to the opposition gamers for the best way they took a few of their penalties.
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Proper, let’s go away it there for this morning. Subsequent week is one the place now we have to get right down to enterprise with the brand new season drawing ever nearer, so for now have an awesome Sunday. We’ll be again with extra right here tomorrow, and an Arsecast Further.
