Well folks, it’s that time again. August is here and so begins Arsenal’s slate of preseason matches. Today, the Gunners face Girona to cap off a week of training in Spain. They take on Real Betis (and Hector Bellerin) in Dublin on Wednesday, August 5th, Dortmund next Sunday in the Emirates Cup, and Como on August 12th before the Community Shield on August 16th. The Premier League season kicks off in less than three weeks — the 21st home to newly promoted Coventry.
Arsenal – Kepa, White, Mosquera,
Hincapie, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Havertz, Nwaneri, Dowman, Tzolis, Gyokeres
Everyone should be prepared to overreact wildly to a lineup several players off the first XI. Because that’s what you do in the preseason, after all. None of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice, Ebere Eze, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, David Raya, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, nor William Saliba are in today’s squad.
The Brazilians rejoined the team in the last day or two. Gabriel Martinelli got married a few days ago in Greece but is back with the squad. Martin Ødegaard is due back next week. The England players after that and the Spanish contingent last of all. William Saliba will miss a fair bit of time recovering from the back injury he played through at the end of the season and during the World Cup.
The Gunners are also expected to do a fair bit of business before the start of the season. A move for Bruno Guimaraes seems close. The rumors are swirling around a massive move for Vini Jr. The club intends to sign a CB to cover during Saliba’s absence. They may also sign a right back — Jurrien Timber is still recovering from the groin problem that kept him out of the World Cup.
Jokes about preseason aside, you can glean things from warmup matches. For instance, Max Dowman’s performances last summer showed he was the real deal and had me convinced he’d play a first team role last season, which he did.
Today, I’ll be paying attention to Myles Lewis-Skelly at the base of the midfield. He impressed in that spot down the stretch (it’s his natural position, after all) and his growth / development could be a boon to Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi’s fitness and freshness this season. Strong preseason showings from Ethan Nwaneri could go a long way. It feels like he’s on the outside looking in at Arsenal and might be in the shop window. I think we’d all like to see another Hale End graduate come good with the first team. He’s got plenty of attacking ability and his willingness to shoot from distance is a quality not many in the squad have.
Speaking of firing at goal, new signing Christos Tzolis loves a shot. Keep an eye on his developing relationship with Viktor Gyokeres. The Big Swede hit a nice run of form as the season drew to a close. I’m hoping for bigger things in his second season at the club.
And watch Max Dowman, of course. That kid is something else.
You can purchase a streaming pass for today’s match on Arsenal.com for £7 or the entire preseason for £15. Supposedly DAZN has today’s contest streaming too, but I’ve not looked into whether that’s on their app, their YouTube, or somewhere else of theirs as I’ve bought the pass. I’ll be posting updates and observations through the match on BlueSky @aaronclerner and @theshortfuse.
