Arsenal make a statement in Girona
Arsenal strode to a 4-1 victory over Girona in their first official clash of pre-season with Max Dowman grabbing a goal and assist. Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis and Gabriel Jesus were also on target with Ethan Nwaneri and Riccardo Calafiori making attacking contributions, but it was Dowman that stole the show.
The opening goal arrived just after the quarter-of-an-mark as Havertz finished calmly after a brilliant piece of skill and pass from Dowman.
A second arrived on the 30th minute when Arsenal broke through Girona's press courtesy of an excellent Ethan Nwaneri pass into Riccardo Calafiori. The Italian moved the ball out wide to Tzolis with the summer signing using his quick feet to gain a yard of space with his effort nestling in the far corner after a deflection.
Girona did pull one back from a corner early into the second period with Arnau Martinez heading past Kepa Arrizabalaga. However, that deficit was at one for minutes as Dowman and Jesus both scored in the space of two minutes. The latter took advantage of an error to poke home while Dowman fired an effort into the corner with his left foot from just outside of the box.
Arteta brought on several fringe and academy players during the second half with goalmouth action minimal as the final whistle edged closer. Nonetheless, it was a very good workout for several Arsenal stars and a confident showing in front of goal. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at the biggest talking points from the victory.
Dowman steals the show
Max Dowman was more or less involved in every piece of good play by Arsenal in the opening 45 minutes. It was his smart turn that opened up a huge gap in Girona's midfield for the first goal and his pass was perfectly weighted into Havertz with the German taking one touch before sliding home.
Midway through the first half, he showed his awareness at the other end by intercepting a pass inside the defensive third as Girona threatened. He went on a jinking run just before half-time before falling to the floor after being crowded out by Girona players in the penalty area, but the referee dismissed appeals for a spot-kick.
It wasn't the best start to the half for Dowman with a poor decision made when he received the ball in the final third. Viktor Gyokeres was in acres of space on the other side of the pitch and the pass was on but he opted to dribble forward before losing possession which resulted in the Swede screaming at him for not passing.
Dowman later got on the score sheet himself as he drove an effort into the back of the net from 20 yards after another precise forward pass by Myles Lewis-Skelly. The 16-year-old was back defending immediately after that and made a crucial interception but just moments later needed to be bailed out by Kepa Arrizabalaga after a mishit back pass. He was brought off on the hour-mark with cameras capturing him deep in discussion with Arteta on the sidelines.
While he is not the finished article, Dowman's quality was clearly on display and he looks set for a breakout season at Emirates Stadium.
New partnerships are emerging
Due to the sheer amount of squad depth at his diposal, Arteta can choose to deploy certain players with others in order to develop partnerships. Based on the first 45 minutes in Spain, expect to see Christos Tzolis and Riccardo Calafiori linking up frequently. The latter is an unorthodox full-back and will often find himself in central areas.
That was the case for Arsenal's second goal as he drove into Girona's half after receiving a sharp forward pass from Nwaneri with Tzolis later picked out on the touchline.
Calafiori continued his run forward which occupied defenders and opened up space for the Greek international to cut inside and send an effort into the far corner, albeit via a deflection.
Arsenal still have work to do defensively
Arsenal were not at their defensive best in Girona with substitute goalkeeper Illian Meslier forced into a number of saves. It is worth noting those came after a number of alterations but even at full strength, the Gunners didn't look that solid.
Early into the clash, Ben White was caught out and left chasing Girona players while there were a number of sloppy passes among their own backline. Perhaps what would have angered Arteta most was conceding from a corner with Arnau Martinez jumping unmarked to head home.
Riccardo Calafiori is arguably the only regular starter that was deployed from the off but Arteta's favoured back four is unlikely to be deployed early in the season. William Saliba has a back injury and Jurrien Timber looks set to be managed carefully. Gabriel Magalhaes will also likely be monitored as he has played a lot of minutes in the last few years.
Signing a defender is not the priority but it is clear why there have been links to a number of cental defenders.
Arteta is managing minutes carefully
It was somewhat surprising to see Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie taken off after the first drinks break midway around the 30th minute. However, it makes perfect sense considering that trio all reached the World Cup last-32 and were therefore late arrivals to pre-season.
Gabriel Martinelli and Magalhaes were eliminated in the following round and based on this, will likely be eased back into action. Arteta has faced criticism for overplaying the likes of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka but it looks as though he is being extra careful now especially after a number of key players struggled with fitness issues during the second half of the season.
Regardless of the strong performance, the need to wrap up a deal for Bruno Guimaraes promptly was clear before the pre-season clash had even got underway. Arteta named a strong starting XI but, on paper, the balance in midfield was not the best. Lewis-Skelly, Havertz and Nwaneri are all talented footballers in their own right but the midfield dynamic did leave Arsenal open at times.
Arteta does not have too much choice, however, with Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino all still on holiday after the World Cup. Brazil duo Gabriel Martinelli and Magalhaes have made their returns which means Bruno Guimaraes' minimum rest period is also due to be up. However, it seems as though he will be heading to Arsenal's training camp now as opposed to Newcastle's with an £80m deal agreed.
Arteta needed this signing wrapped up quickly - simply because Guimaraes will be required for the opening few weeks of the season and also to have plenty of training sessions under Arteta and with his new team-mates.
Considering that Christian Norgaard, who was sat among the substitutes in Girona, is set to join Everton, the Guimaraes to Arsenal deal is now expected to ramp up. The Community Shield against Manchester City takes place in just over two weeks and Guimaraes ideally needs to be starting as the likes of Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and Elliot Anderson present more of a threat than Girona.
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