Kevin Whitcher
Have to say what an absolute pleasure it is to watch an Arsenal penalty shoot-out not giving a fig about the outcome, and such is the format of the International Champions Cup that you can’t have a draw apparently. I had no idea this was a knockout competition, given the Gunners are playing PSG tomorrow. Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side often play like they have taken a double dose of turinabol 20, but the intensity of this game was predictably lesser than the Europa League semi-final matches last April/May. However there were some conclusions that the runout did give us.
Atletico’s line-up was far more compromised by World Cup duty than Unai Emery’s side, although they played in their classic counter-attacking style. The pieces in the jigsaw may change but the look is the same. As for Arsenal, some experimentation. Four at the back for the starting eleven, which reverted to five at the back when mass changes were made after about an hour of the game.
From World Cup duty, the only defensive absentee is Nacho Monreal, although in front of them, Lucas Torreira will presumably have a significant impact on the side’s ability to defend as an eleven. Nobody knows when Laurent Koscielny will next kick a football in anger, so as far as centre-backs are concerned, barring any surprise last minute additions, those on display yesterday are what Emery is going to utilise for the forthcoming season. Sokratis, Mustafi, Mavropanos, Chambers and Holding.
Granted, this was a pre-season run out, but these players have been doing a lot of training already, and there is a lot of work still to do. The defensive shape saw enough lapses to cause concern and give Atleti some encouragement, and they have three further matches to get themselves sorted out before Manchester City. What really came out of the game for me is confirmation that we cannot expect miracles overnight. I honestly think that anything the team can get from their opening pair of Premier League fixtures can be counted as a bonus. Two defeats will probably ignite the old wars between the supporters, but the reality is that Arsenal conceded 51 league goals last season. The top two teams combined conceded 55. The purchase of one new centre back (remembering that two from last season’s squad have effectively been lost) is not going to turn the team into Arsenal circa 1990-91 overnight. Torreira will undoubtedly help, but this is going to take probably half a season until Emery’s work and the new combinations fully gel.
Old habits can take a long time to weed out, and the sight of Arsenal risking (and sometimes losing) possession in their own half was all too familiar. Now listen up here. I am not being critical, just stating what I saw, and completely understanding the reasons for it. Folks, this is going to take time and I for one am prepared to wait. What I hope to see is enough turnaround for the club to compete in the Champions League again in 2019/20. And an increase in Premier League points total two seasons running. By 2020/21, I’d like to see genuine involvement in the title race. By that time, there will have been two further summer transfer windows and hopefully, improved players being signed by the club.
In Singapore, there seemed a little more intensity to the players’ efforts to regain possession. That was expected and welcome to see. I will be fascinated to see whether or not Mesut Ozil is expected to join his colleagues in this particular way of doing things. For the collective to perform to its optimum, he will probably need to. Can a side in the modern era afford to carry a creative player? It’s possible those days are gone.
Going forward, there were some good things, Emile Smith Rowe was the obvious standout, largely due to a cracking equalizer. The young man looks a confident player who I imagine will get gametime in the coming season, at least in the cup competitions. Of course, we are still at the mix and match stage. Emery is not playing his strongest eleven. This is about fitness, carrying out his tactics in match situations and developing understanding for the players who were not a part of the previous set up. That Arsenal could not beat a very understrength Atletico side is not hugely significant. However, some of the looser moments did provide a reality check. This isn't an overnight process, and we must be patient.
One final thing. These pre-season tours are moneyspinners. I expect the club receive a set fee to take part in the matches. I’d certainly be disappointed if their fee was in any way related to the physical attendance at the Singapore National Stadium, where the capacity is 55,000. It was less than half full according to the official attendance figure of 23,095. It looked less than that. I’d say that supporters in the far east have now got wise to the reality that they are going to see exactly the kind of thing we saw yesterday. Lots of players on holiday, plenty of younger wannabes and a mass of substitutions. Maybe the Gooners in that part of the world are saving their money for Saturday’s game against PSG. At least the matches in Dublin and Stockholm are likely to see stronger starting elevens with a greater nod to what we can expect when the things get real on August 12th.
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