Intense preseason is exactly what we need
We've had the pleasure of facing Three solid teams in our USA tour and I'd say things are looking good. Our first match was a 5-0 demolishing of the MLS all star, then a 2-0 loss to Manchester United followed and then this morning, we beat Barcelona 5-3.
The first match against the MLS all star seemed like a friendly because we ran circles around their head and made light work of the opposition. However, games against United and Barcelona were anything but friendly.
For what it's worth, neither game was actually a low intensity affair and for Arteta, it is an opportunity to get the boys into the head space for a gruelling season. There's a lot to come this season with the boys looking to do one better than our second placed finish last season.
A few observations
The results of the encounter don't matter as much in Preseason. However, it is always nice to know that your efforts on the pitch are being rewarded.
We were sublime against MLS All star, notching five goals with free flowing football. At the time, neither of Rice and Timber were part of the group but we got a glimpse of Kai Havertz.
Despite scoring two goals in preseason, there are still question marks hovering over the German midfielder signed from Chelsea. For me though, it is pretty clear what Edu and Arteta are doing in the squad, as they continue a recruitment drive that's focused on versatility.
There's no doubt that the aim is to play free flowing football and for that to happen, we'll need players with a combination of traits that enable easy movement around the pitch. This is why all three additions to the squad are very versatile and that versatility will aid our cause.
Going back to Kai Havertz, he spent most of the time playing as a Centre Forward at Chelsea but everyone knows he's more of a supporting striker or advanced midfielder. At Arsenal, he's going to function a bit like an advanced "8" but due to our constant rotation and times when our striker drops deep, his experience as a forward combined with his height and ability to find space would offer a different type of threat.
In the two matches Havertz has scored, he has picked up spaces in tight areas that offer just enough wriggle room to get a snap shot. This is most likely going to be a common theme throughout the season.
Other than Havertz, the other two additions also offer different type of versatility across the pitch. This will ver very instrumental in our bid to play free flowing football with a lot of moving parts and tactical switches.
Anyway, the intensity of the preseason fixtures have given us an idea about where we are as a squad. The different changes we've made and how we adapt to various tactical tweaks have been bare for everyone to see.
Interestingly, there hasn't been room for playing around with fixtures as we have largely fielded first team players. For others, this preseason is an opportunity to relax and prepare for the season but for Arsenal, the stakes are much higher and so, we need intense game to get out heads in the game.
We still have one more fixture against Monaco before we get the season's opener against Manchester City. We need to put our best foot forward, start strong, and get that fear factor on our side. Until we meet again, up the Arsenal.
