By Tony Attwood
- Yet again international matches end in utter chaos. When will they ever learn
- How Arsenal have transformed their approach for players, and the next transfer
… Arsenal looked fit and raring to go.
As Yahoo puts it on their website, “For all the coaching changes at United, there is a glaring omission: a new fitness coach. United still have the same one who was promoted by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer five years ago, when United promised to have their fittest squad ever. Before the end of August, Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba were sidelined through injury.”
Of course that is hardly Arsenal’s fault as the article continues, “The flies have begun dropping quicker this season after the 66 cases recorded last season.” “The flies” is how they refer to Manchester United players – which seems a bit harsh.
Arsenal won, as I am sure you will know, and Manchester United continue at the top of the timeloss table published by the Athletic in which each injury that results in a player being unavailable for at least one game counts as one point, irrespective of however long the player is out.
Last season Manchester United won the “timeloss league” with 46 injuries. Second were Chelsea and third were Newcastle. The bottom four were Manchester City and Wolverhampton on 25 and then Arsenal and Fulham on 22. It is rather interesting that Arsenal and Man City were so close together on this – another thing Arteta seems to have picked up from Guardiola. (Incidentally, what is the betting that when Guardiola finally does leave Manchester C the media all come out with “The changing of the Guard (iolla)”?
By the 20th minute Manchester United (who surely need to have a new tactics coach and a new manager of fitness), had lost two players. After 14 minutes Rasmus Højlund went off and after 20 minutes Leny Yoro went off. That of course is their problem – our joy is that Martinelli came on as a substitute, looked not like the Martinelli of last season but the Martinelli of the season before – and scored.
Of course, this is pre-season in an alien time zone and an alien environment, but it was nevertheless a victory. It was another chance for the youngsters to mingle with the not-so-youngsters, and for every younger player on the tour to be reminded that if you are good enough, like Martinelli, you make it into the squad and then the team.
At the of the game there was what the Athletic calls a “pre-agreed penalty shootout” and that left me wondering what the difference is between “an agreed” penalty and a “pre-agreed” penalty. I am sure they know, but I don’t. Anyway Manchester U won that, whatever it was, so they might well be counting it as a victory.
But for Arsenal, it was a real victory, including the likes of 17 year old Ayden Heaven in the side, who could be left in no doubt that there is a bit of a gap between the sort of teams he’s been playing before, and even a club as disorganised and disjointed as Manchester U (who seemed to spend as much time wondering where the ball had got to as they did chasing after it, once they worked it out).
Certainly watching this display one can only fear for the Scottish team Rangers this season, who Manchester U beat 2-0 in a previous friendly. Rangers have won their league once in the last 13 seasons, while Celtic have won it 12 times meaning that Celtic have now won the league 54 times to Rangers 55. If you gamble (which I don’t) you might put some money on Celtic making it 55, this season, although I suspect the odds are pretty awful.
As indeed will the odds be on Manchester U doing much this season. But enough of such matters, Arsenal’s team to begin was
Hein
White Timber Heaven Zinchenko
Odegaard Jorginho Nelson
Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus
Changes came of course. These were in two batches, on 63 and 71 minutes in clutches after which we had a team that was
Hein
Nichols Gabriel Kiwior Lewis-Skelly
Havertz Partey Martinelli
Salah Vieira Nketiah
Of course, as ever we have to be cautious as to what we read into pre-season teams and it is not unknown on occasion for a player to be included in a match so that another club that is seeking to buy him, gets a full look in real life. But leaving that aside, and the addition of the players who played in the Euros right up to the last, it is a pretty nifty squad in my view.
So we might want to add Kieran Tierney, David Raya, William Saliba, Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka to those who look some part in the match, to see what sort of squad the club has for the coming season. But still, with six players missing, it was looking ok.
Vieira played on the right
Marti played on the left wing
Nketiah played central
Salah played on the left
Trossard played on the left
Nelson played on the right
Jesus played central
Nwaneri played on the right
My stand outs were Timber, Jesus and especially Martinelli late on, who looked really good, as did 3 young’ns in the shape of Nwari, Oylamd M,Hand and Lewis Kelly.
As you suggest young Heaven struggled a bit, but he has time.
As for Man Utd, they were typical Man Utd. They can and do look pretty useful going forward. Fast and incisive. But it never lasts. They no sooner look a class act than they look like they’ve never played together.
And of course defensively they are always vulnerable, although I’m not sure how representative last night was of the defence that will start the season with.
We look well set for this stage of pre season.