Gabriel Jesus’ Arsenal debut, Smith Rowe at No 10 and rust: Pre-season is underway
By Art de Roché
With a testing trip to Selhurst Park as their opening game of the Premier League season, Arsenal must get up to speed as quickly as possible this pre-season.
Mikel Arteta’s side endured a mixed afternoon against Nuremberg and were 2-0 down at half-time, but ran out 5-3 winners with a strong second-half performance. Gabriel Jesus stole the show with two goals, along with a strike from Mohamed Elneny and two own goals.
Here are five themes The Athletic feel told the story of the match.
Cobwebs still hanging around
Arsenal have to use the rest of this pre-season to dust away the cobwebs displayed in the first half against Nuremberg.
It was not the end of the world in a friendly, but the lax showing in the first 45 minutes cannot become a theme through pre-season.
Arsenal struggled to build momentum in last season’s pre-season, with disappointing results against Hibernian (2-1 defeat), Rangers (2-2 draw), Chelsea (2-1 defeat) and Tottenham Hotspur (1-0 defeat).
The first half was littered with stray touches and loose passes. That is somewhat understandable given it was the first time some players have played in pre-season (after missing the 5-1 win over Ipswich Town last week) but need to be ironed out in the coming weeks.
Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah paired up top
It took just under 90 seconds for Jesus to show his class in an Arsenal shirt.
Scoring two of the five second-half goals, as well as being involved in two others, the 25-year-old displaying his ability to combine with others and make things happen for himself was the perfect way to introduce himself.
Playing in a two-man strike partnership with Eddie Nketiah, the pair linked well. The play was a bit stretched when they combined for Jesus’ first goal — a clinical finish from a tight angle — but they continued to bounce off each other nicely to break into the final third and provide a different dimension in attack.
Jesus’ movement to get on the end of Gabriel Martinelli’s cross before deftly finishing also demonstrated how important a presence in the box is for Arsenal.
Jesus’ ability to travel with the ball from deep was encouraging, too. Alexandre Lacazette’s inability to carry the ball made Arsenal one-dimensional at times last season but Jesus showed a willingness and ability to take on defenders.
Emile Smith Rowe’s positioning as a No 10
Arsenal played the first half in a 4-2-3-1 with Emile Smith Rowe as the No 10. Although there are still strides to be made to return to his high level, the positions he took up playing in that role were interesting.
Last season, Smith Rowe spent most of the campaign playing off the left wing, with Martin Odegaard as the No 10. As Odegaard is not with the squad for pre-season yet, it was interesting to see Smith Rowe take up similar pockets to the Norwegian — albeit on the opposite side of the pitch.
Odegaard drifting into the right half-space to receive the ball and combine with Bukayo Saka was a theme of Arsenal’s play last season.
Smith Rowe had a moment in the third minute when he received off Pablo Mari in the left half-space to drive upfield with Reiss Nelson high and wide on the left. He also provided support for Kieran Tierney inside when Nelson made a forward run which resulted in a well-saved shot aimed for the far corner.
Smith Rowe, 21, was not at his sharpest. Nevertheless, with more wide players in the fold (Nelson and Marquinhos), becoming accustomed to playing in those pockets could be crucial once the season begins properly.
Going asymmetrical in the second half
Alongside the inclusion of Jesus, the change in shape for the second half was intriguing. Going from a 4-2-3-1 to an incredibly fluid 3-5-2 took a while for Nuremberg and those watching to adjust to.
Initially, after the switch, it appeared that Nelson was playing more as a right wing-back, with Martinelli as a left winger. When the England Under-21 international was replaced by Marquinhos, that shape seemed to flip, with Arsenal’s new signing acting as a right winger while Martinelli took care of the entire left flank.
Nuremberg struggled with Arsenal’s tactical flexibility, as it also left gaps for central midfielders to exploit. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, playing in a roaming role, was much more influential.
Arsenal were also more aggressive without the ball in this setup. Two strikers were always supported by two attacking midfielders when setting up a press before a goal kick. Creating a box of four players, they have more numbers to force teams who go short from goal kicks into dangerous areas and try to quickly regain possession.
The big question will be whether that switch was made out of necessity — without his whole squad together yet — or if it is a plausible option for Arteta this season.
He unsuccessfully experimented with a more rigid 3-5-2 when chasing games during the back-end of last season but if there is more fluidity within that structure, as was the case in the second half against Nuremberg, it could be an interesting way for the squad to develop. Especially as Arteta has been intent on adding more unpredictability to Arsenal’s play.
The left side of the defence
Kieran Tierney was brought off on exactly half an hour, suggesting it was a planned substitution. Especially given those were his first minutes since March.
Nuno Tavares has not yet joined the squad for pre-season, but was inconsistent when deputising for Tierney and has been subject to loan interest from Marseille.
In the left-sided centre-back slot, the drop in physicality and stability from Gabriel to Mari has been apparent since last season. Some of the Spaniard’s errors can be put down to pre-season rustiness but his passive approach to aerial duels and lack of recovery pace cannot be so easily excused.
Tierney’s inconsistent availability and Mari’s shaky performance show why Arsenal have been keen on Lisandro Martinez this summer. Considering his versatility to play at left-back or centre-back, it is clear why plenty of clubs are chasing the 24-year-old.
https://theathletic.com/3410283/2022/07/09/gabriel-jesus-arsenal-nuremberg/
Gabriel Jesus’ Arsenal debut, Smith Rowe at No 10 and rust: Pre-season is underway
By Art de Roché
With a testing trip to Selhurst Park as their opening game of the Premier League season, Arsenal must get up to speed as quickly as possible this pre-season.
Mikel Arteta’s side endured a mixed afternoon against Nuremberg and were 2-0 down at half-time, but ran out 5-3 winners with a strong second-half performance. Gabriel Jesus stole the show with two goals, along with a strike from Mohamed Elneny and two own goals.
Here are five themes The Athletic feel told the story of the match.
Cobwebs still hanging around
Arsenal have to use the rest of this pre-season to dust away the cobwebs displayed in the first half against Nuremberg.
It was not the end of the world in a friendly, but the lax showing in the first 45 minutes cannot become a theme through pre-season.
Arsenal struggled to build momentum in last season’s pre-season, with disappointing results against Hibernian (2-1 defeat), Rangers (2-2 draw), Chelsea (2-1 defeat) and Tottenham Hotspur (1-0 defeat).
The first half was littered with stray touches and loose passes. That is somewhat understandable given it was the first time some players have played in pre-season (after missing the 5-1 win over Ipswich Town last week) but need to be ironed out in the coming weeks.
Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah paired up top
It took just under 90 seconds for Jesus to show his class in an Arsenal shirt.
Scoring two of the five second-half goals, as well as being involved in two others, the 25-year-old displaying his ability to combine with others and make things happen for himself was the perfect way to introduce himself.
Playing in a two-man strike partnership with Eddie Nketiah, the pair linked well. The play was a bit stretched when they combined for Jesus’ first goal — a clinical finish from a tight angle — but they continued to bounce off each other nicely to break into the final third and provide a different dimension in attack.
Jesus’ movement to get on the end of Gabriel Martinelli’s cross before deftly finishing also demonstrated how important a presence in the box is for Arsenal.
Jesus’ ability to travel with the ball from deep was encouraging, too. Alexandre Lacazette’s inability to carry the ball made Arsenal one-dimensional at times last season but Jesus showed a willingness and ability to take on defenders.
Emile Smith Rowe’s positioning as a No 10
Arsenal played the first half in a 4-2-3-1 with Emile Smith Rowe as the No 10. Although there are still strides to be made to return to his high level, the positions he took up playing in that role were interesting.
Last season, Smith Rowe spent most of the campaign playing off the left wing, with Martin Odegaard as the No 10. As Odegaard is not with the squad for pre-season yet, it was interesting to see Smith Rowe take up similar pockets to the Norwegian — albeit on the opposite side of the pitch.
Odegaard drifting into the right half-space to receive the ball and combine with Bukayo Saka was a theme of Arsenal’s play last season.
Smith Rowe had a moment in the third minute when he received off Pablo Mari in the left half-space to drive upfield with Reiss Nelson high and wide on the left. He also provided support for Kieran Tierney inside when Nelson made a forward run which resulted in a well-saved shot aimed for the far corner.
Smith Rowe, 21, was not at his sharpest. Nevertheless, with more wide players in the fold (Nelson and Marquinhos), becoming accustomed to playing in those pockets could be crucial once the season begins properly.
Going asymmetrical in the second half
Alongside the inclusion of Jesus, the change in shape for the second half was intriguing. Going from a 4-2-3-1 to an incredibly fluid 3-5-2 took a while for Nuremberg and those watching to adjust to.
Initially, after the switch, it appeared that Nelson was playing more as a right wing-back, with Martinelli as a left winger. When the England Under-21 international was replaced by Marquinhos, that shape seemed to flip, with Arsenal’s new signing acting as a right winger while Martinelli took care of the entire left flank.
Nuremberg struggled with Arsenal’s tactical flexibility, as it also left gaps for central midfielders to exploit. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, playing in a roaming role, was much more influential.
Arsenal were also more aggressive without the ball in this setup. Two strikers were always supported by two attacking midfielders when setting up a press before a goal kick. Creating a box of four players, they have more numbers to force teams who go short from goal kicks into dangerous areas and try to quickly regain possession.
The big question will be whether that switch was made out of necessity — without his whole squad together yet — or if it is a plausible option for Arteta this season.
He unsuccessfully experimented with a more rigid 3-5-2 when chasing games during the back-end of last season but if there is more fluidity within that structure, as was the case in the second half against Nuremberg, it could be an interesting way for the squad to develop. Especially as Arteta has been intent on adding more unpredictability to Arsenal’s play.
The left side of the defence
Kieran Tierney was brought off on exactly half an hour, suggesting it was a planned substitution. Especially given those were his first minutes since March.
Nuno Tavares has not yet joined the squad for pre-season, but was inconsistent when deputising for Tierney and has been subject to loan interest from Marseille.
In the left-sided centre-back slot, the drop in physicality and stability from Gabriel to Mari has been apparent since last season. Some of the Spaniard’s errors can be put down to pre-season rustiness but his passive approach to aerial duels and lack of recovery pace cannot be so easily excused.
Tierney’s inconsistent availability and Mari’s shaky performance show why Arsenal have been keen on Lisandro Martinez this summer. Considering his versatility to play at left-back or centre-back, it is clear why plenty of clubs are chasing the 24-year-old.
https://theathletic.com/3410283/2022/07/09/gabriel-jesus-arsenal-nuremberg/
