Bréaking news:-Four things we learnt as Arsenal lifted the Emirates Cup against Olympique Lyon.......

Four things we learnt as Arsenal lifted the Emirates Cup against Olympique Lyon

Two set-piece goals from the centre-back pairing of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba saw Arsenal end their pre-season in good stead.

Four things we learnt as Arsenal lifted the Emirates Cup against Olympique Lyon

Arsenal lifting the Emirates Cup 2024 (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

samuleukah

By Samuel Ukah

12 August 2024 20:57 BST

A sunny Emirates Stadium hosted Arsenal’s final pre-season fixture as they faced off against French side Olympique Lyon in the Emirates Cup final.

After seeing plenty of rotation in the United States tour, Mikel Arteta opted to roll out the first team since returning to England.

The Gunners were frighteningly good in the opening 30 minutes, as they created chance after chance. Two headers from the ever-present duo of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães saw Arsenal lead 2-0 at the break.

The game teetered out in the second half as the bench options and academy players took to the pitch, however, new signing Riccardo Calafiori brought some much-needed life to the second period as he was given a 25-minute runout.

Here are four things we learnt from the Gunners’ Emirates Cup victory.

Arsenal Look More Direct

Somewhat installed in the Arsenal DNA is patient build-up play, stemming as far back as the days of Arsene Wenger. This style has even followed its way into Mikel Arteta’s managerial reign – just a look at Oleksandr Zinchenko’s opening goal against Bayer Leverkusen this pre-season tells us this.

However, this Lyon fixture highlighted a different way of playing. Arsenal looked less passive in the build-up, looking to get into goalscoring opportunities as fast as possible.

Martinelli was thrice found in behind his full-back with large spaces to run into as a result of looking in behind faster and not being afraid to attack with fewer players. Although these opportunities did not directly result in goals, they were promising signs, especially for the Gunners’ left-hand side which – at times – looked dysfunctional last season.

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Set Pieces Are Not Going Anywhere

Last season Arsenal scored 22 goals from set-pieces, 16 of which came from corners – matching the Premier League record.

Nicholas Jover, who has been at the club since 2021, has completely transformed the way in which the North London club both defends and attacks set pieces.

Going off of yesterday’s game, it seems like the set-piece routines are going absolutely nowhere.

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Saliba’s opener in the ninth minute saw an interesting routine as all runs were made from the back post to the near post, except for the Frenchman’s – who stopped in the way of his marker and goalkeeper to nod home.

Gabriel’s goal came again from a Declan Rice delivery however, this time, the Arsenal players were more static – with Gabriel the only Arsenal player making a run. His run was from the penalty spot towards the back post, where he rose and glanced it into the opposite corner.

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Zinchenko Has a Claim to Start

After losing some fans’ backing, following an underwhelming 2023/24 campaign, and after the signing of Riccardo Calafiori, it looked like the writing was on the wall for Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Despite rumours of an exit, the Ukrainian claimed the vacant number 17 shirt, all but confirming that he will be a part of Mikel Arteta’s squad for the upcoming season.

His performances this pre-season have been a throwback to the Zinchenko of 2022, managing to invert from left-back and dictate the tempo of the game after coming inside.

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Against Lyon yesterday, Zinchenko enjoyed a terrific performance – picking up pockets of space in midfield and linking up well with Thomas Partey, a combination that seemed forgotten not too long ago.

Arsenal’s new number 17 seemed to help improve the left-hand side dynamics as he broke lines with incisive passes to find Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice in more advanced positions on the pitch. With Calafiori only getting his first few minutes, Zinchenko looks in line to start the season opener next week against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

An Attacking Signing is Needed

The Gunners found themselves in great attacking positions against Lyon, but failed to provide that killer finish. Big chances found their way to Bukayo Saka and Martinelli, who failed to capitalise.

The Arsenal squad does have goals in it, however. The likes of Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Saka are more than capable of getting themselves on the scoresheet – as seen in seasons gone by. But, for the sheer volume of chances that Arsenal create, fans are left wondering ‘what if we had ourselves a 20-25 goal a season striker?’

Arsenal’s set-piece prowess does help to compensate for the lack of an out-and-out goal scorer, but, for how long?

Kai Havertz managed 13 Premier League goals last season, most of which happened when he made the switch to the number nine position, however, the German is not as imposing in front of goal compared to the likes of Erling Haaland, Victor Osimhen, or even an Ivan Toney.

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Gabriel Jesus remains a handful upfront, but when given the opportunity, the Brazillian lacks the instincts of a predatory striker.

With that being said, the market is not filled with a plethora of available high-scoring strikers, so Arsenal may need to look at another goalscoring winger to rival Saka – similar in the way Trossard has for Martinelli.

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Samuel Ukah

MA Broadcast Journalism Student

Arsenal FC

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