Earlier than we dig into issues, a large because of Andrew Allen for overlaying yesterday’s weblog after I, nicely, let’s not gown it up, I obtained my days combined up. Subsequent drink’s on me!
As for Arsenal and final evening, it’s comforting to inform ourselves pre-season means nothing once we lose. If solely the precise season had such a simple out after a disappointing end result. Nonetheless, as a lot as pre-season is an train in group constructing and getting minutes within the legs, there’ll nonetheless be conversations round performances, outcomes, people when these video games are performed. Typically, like after the win towards Manchester United the opposite day, these conversations are optimistic. Typically not a lot.
Waking up this morning after defeat to Liverpool in a single day and issues really feel extra just like the latter.
As issues usually go as pre-season goes on and the true factor closes in, there was a extra senior really feel to the group towards Liverpool in comparison with the 2 earlier video games. All three objectives within the 2-1 loss got here earlier than the break, with Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho scoring for Arne Slot’s facet in Philadelphia earlier than Kai Havertz pulled one again following some beautiful work from Martin Odegaard. Arsenal had been the group forcing the difficulty and pushing for the rest of the sport however there was no breakthrough and the US tour ended with a loss after the draw with Bournemouth and the 2-1 win towards United.
After that win in LA, I used to be on obligation right here in Blogs’ absence and wrote about Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, relating how large seasons from each — after disappointing to differing extents in 2023/24 — might be essential for Arsenal wanting forward. Each gamers appeared threatening once more, selecting up the place they left off just a few days in the past however with out providing the ending touches. Punishing groups was a subject final season and Mikel Arteta is not going to need it to grow to be one once more:
I believe we began the sport fantastically nicely. I believe after six or seven minutes we needs to be 2-0 up. Then we misplaced management, particularly with two issues that we didn’t do nicely sufficient and we allowed them to run in transition, which is a very harmful factor to do towards them. And within the second half we improved quite a bit and we deserved extra.
The sport would have been very completely different if the primary probability that we had, we scored however that’s the objective. It makes the distinction once you’re in these areas in these areas within the field, placing the ball at the back of the web and we created a state of affairs, we had one other two or three large open conditions to go higher however we didn’t, so we now have to enhance.
Summers are dominated by switch speak however the majority of the squad will all the time stay the identical from one season to the subsequent and, at the least internally, there should be a deal with tips on how to get extra out of the gamers who had been already in situ earlier than the switch window opened.
And I believe it’s, sadly, straightforward to fall into that entice over the summer time, speaking up gamers who may provide extra. Some gamers are possible have higher seasons than in 2023/24. However some aren’t. There’ll most likely be those that stagnate and a few who’ve, on a private stage, worse campaigns.
Whereas it’s simply pre-season, it’s exhausting to not really feel just like the writing is on the wall, to some extent, for Oleksandr Zinchenko and Thomas Partey. Or, at the least, it’s exhausting to not fear that counting on both participant considerably this season may grow to be an issue for us.
Now, I wish to caveat the Zinchenko stuff. He has by no means been a world class defender however he nonetheless made the group tick in 2022/23. Final season that stopped occurring and I believe his defensive deficiencies grew to become extra apparent as a result of he wasn’t taking part in as nicely in possession. If we get the calm, probing, technically safe Zinchenko again (with a bit extra maturity and fewer making an attempt to power issues, please) I believe he could be extremely helpful. However I do assume his confidence has been knocked and that has made him looser on the ball in addition to exaggerating the problems with defensive facet of his recreation.
I believe there’s a level of affirmation bias in relation to the criticism of his performances, which I don’t assume have been as unhealthy as made out, however there additionally isn’t no purpose he makes folks really feel nervous.
Now final evening he was up towards a contemporary Mohamed Salah, who had the pleasure of not taking part in worldwide soccer over the summer time. As a left-back, maintaining with Salah is the toughest job in soccer when going again in the direction of your personal objective and so it proved for the opener.
Determined to file for a minute and caught the @MoSalah objective! #LIVARS pic.twitter.com/3xeazRPm8M
— John Cappo (@JKCappo) August 1, 2024
I don’t understand how a lot here’s a lack of defensive intuition and I don’t assume there’s an absence of software. To me, it’s extra a little bit of nouse — Ben White ought to run darkish arts seminars for the remainder of the squad — and, to make use of what seems like an Arteta-ism, I don’t assume Zinchenko has the bodily capability to compete in that situation. He didn’t look alert on the second objective however nor did Ben White, the latter simply has (a lot) extra credit score within the financial institution so that you can overlook it.
Gamers can flip issues round — this appears like an excellent time to say Granit Xhaka might be visiting us in north London subsequent week! — however time is working out for Zinchenko and, greater than something, I don’t assume he has the complete belief of the supervisor anymore. On the subject of regaining belief, Xhaka remained an everyday starter. Zinchenko already misplaced his place earlier than Jurrien Timber was match once more and Riccardo Calafiori was signed.
Neither participant was concerned final evening, with Timber rested as his comeback is rigorously managed and Calafiori actually simply a few days into his pre-season, Arteta stated it was too early to throw him in:
We needed to handle him. He had a really busy 48 hours earlier than he took his flight and joined us right here, after which it was the jetlag, it’s plenty of issues. He hasn’t educated with the group but and we wish to construct him up slowly to get to know him first. We’ll have loads of time to see him.
He’ll absolutely be making his Arsenal bow on the Emirates towards Leverkusen subsequent midweek.
Left-back, then, most likely gained’t find yourself being an enormous difficulty with the depth there now. Midfield appears like a unique factor, although. Whereas Zinchenko misplaced his place within the remaining months of final season, Thomas Partey regained his, with Jorginho dropping to the bench after a robust spell within the facet. With Partey again within the facet, video games grew to become a bit extra open and hectic once more, extra 2022/23 than 2023/24. He needs to be again to full health by now however — and it’s simply pre-season — he nonetheless appears to be like sluggish on the transfer and could be caught on the ball. His positioning was off for that Salah objective above, shifting to field Liverpool in when the ball was by no means going to come back again into the center anyway, somewhat than dropping nearer to the backline in case that ball excessive did come. The objective is far much less more likely to occur once you add Saliba, Calafiori, Rice to the facet however who is aware of, possibly we now have a degree within the season the place we don’t have these gamers and extra cowl is required from midfield.
That place on the base of the Arsenal midfield both wants a participant who principally all the time is completely positioned or can eat up floor like no one’s enterprise. For some time now, Partey hasn’t appeared like both. It’s a must to return greater than a yr now for the final time he was actually stringing collectively good performances and, at 31 and together with his harm historical past, issues solely look to be going a method.
It appears the subsequent reinforcement to the squad will are available in midfield, with the newest studies in Spain saying we’re near an settlement with Actual Sociedad for Euro 2024 winner Mikel Merino, who is alleged to have inexperienced lit the transfer already. However Merino is extra of a ‘left eight’ than a holding midfielder. Rice excelled in that function final season and it has appeared like Arteta has come round to the concept the Englishman is greatest used as a box-to-box midfielder somewhat than sweeping up in entrance of the defence and protecting issues ticking on the ball. Issues can change over time as gamers develop, and possibly Merino is seen as somebody who can tone his recreation down and be a bit extra metronomic on the base of the midfield, however proper now it appears to be like like we’ll be heading into one other season with Partey and Jorginho because the controller-type choices on the base of the midfield. Time will inform.
Between Calafiori and Merino, there’s a clear effort to enhance the left-hand facet of the group. We all know what we are able to do down the correct, with Jurrien Timber now able to be thrown into the combo too to compete with Ben White behind Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. However the left, there’s been no clear first alternative at left-back with Zinchenko dropping his place, Rice shuffling between taking part in because the deepest midfielder and taking part in as that left eight, and Gabriel Martinelli hasn’t fairly made the place on the wing his personal as most of us might need anticipated.
If we are able to get extra out of the left this season we needs to be much more threatening everywhere in the pitch, dragging defences round and threatening from all angles. Together with set-pieces. Particularly set-pieces, given Calafiori and Merino are additionally, like plenty of our current signings, completely huge.
Proper, I’ll go away it there for as we speak. In the event you’re in search of any extra Arsenal content material, I can solely advocate Tim’s have a look at goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar after the ladies’s facet accomplished a deal to the Dutch worldwide from Aston Villa.
