4 things to look out for as Arsenal compete in the Dubai Super Cup

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<p>&mdash; Arsenal Guns (@TheArsenalGuns) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"https://twitter.com/TheArsenalGuns/status/1599769755610554368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>December 5, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>Oh, how we miss the dynamic running of Smith Rowe. There&#8217;s a childlike purity to the Englishman&#8217;s game and we cannot wait to see him back in action!</p> <p>Smith Rowe&#8217;s 2022/23 season has been compromised by injury thus far, and he&#8217;s been sidelined since September after undergoing groin surgery. While his absence hasn&#8217;t cost Arsenal, his return will undoubtedly be a massive boost, <a title="Gabriel Jesus undergoes successful knee surgery &#x2013; set for lengthy spell out" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/06/arsenal-gabriel-jesus-undergoes-knee-surgery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">especially after Gabriel Jesus&#8217; injury.</a></p> <p>Smith Rowe played an integral role in the club&#8217;s initial rise under Mikel Arteta, and the Spaniard will need him during the second half of the season. He&#8217;s made the trip out to Dubai, but we don&#8217;t know whether he&#8217;ll be fit enough to earn minutes in either of the friendlies.</p> <p>It&#8217;d be great to see him on the pitch again. That alone would be worth the &pound;5.99 hit.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide&#8230;</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;#2 thing to look out for </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>2. Eddie’s time to shine</h2> <div id="attachment_131181" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-131181" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1244472163.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1244472163.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1244472163-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Eddie Nketiah will earn the majority of Gabriel Jesus’ minutes. (Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)</p> </div> <p>Jesus’ injury has heaped the pressure on Eddie Nketiah and he needs to deliver. Plain and simple.</p> <p>The striker wasn’t handed a lucrative long-term extension and Arsenal’s #14 shirt for nothing. His impressive play at the backend of last season convinced the club to commit to Eddie, but Jesus’ arrival has stymied Nketiah in 2022/23.</p> <p>He’s yet to start a Premier League match this term with the vast majority of his minutes arriving in Europe, where he scored twice in six games. Eddie’s underwhelmed so far, but now’s his time to shine.</p> <p>It’ll be interesting to see how he fares in the low-pressure environment out in Dubai. A couple of goals would be great for his confidence ahead of West Ham’s Boxing Day visit.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 thing to look out for </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>3. Minutes for youngsters</h2> <div id="attachment_129512" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-129512" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1424896269.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1424896269.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1424896269-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri became the Premier League’s youngest-ever player back in September. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)</p> </div> <p>Mikel Arteta made plenty of headlines when he decided to hand 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri his Premier League debut in the Gunners’ 3-0 win at Brentford back in September. Nwaneri became the league’s youngest-ever player as a result, but he hasn’t featured since.</p> <p>The teenager has made the trip out to Dubai, however, and is surely in contention for an appearance or two given his lofty talent.</p> <p>A number of Arsenal’s academy stars have also made the trip, including Myles Lewis-Skelly, Catalin Cirjan, Amario Cozier-Duberry and Zane Monlouis.</p> <p>Supporters would love to see more homegrown talent showcase their stuff for the seniors.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #4 thing to look out for </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>4. Which World Cup stars will play?</h2> <div id="attachment_131109" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-131109" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1245303623.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1245303623.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1245303623-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Thomas Partey was the first Gooner eliminated from the World Cup. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)</p> </div> <p>Given the proximity between Qatar and Dubai, the Arsenal players eliminated from the World Cup are expected to join up with the squad for the training camp.</p> <p>Thomas Partey was the first Gooner to exit the tournament, while Matt Turner, Granit Xhaka and Takehiro Tomiyasu were each knocked out in the round of 16. Xhaka <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"https://twitter.com/karthikadhaigal/status/1600400811112431616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressed his eagerness</a> to join up with his club teammates in Dubai following Switzerland’s 6-1 defeat to Portugal, but he won’t be taking part in Thursday’s friendly.</p> <p>However, we could see each of those listed above against AC Milan on 13 December.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="PKiVICPTCq"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/how-will-arsenal-cope-without-gabriel-jesus/">How will Arsenal cope without Gabriel Jesus?</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/4-things-look-arsenal-compete-dubai-super-cup/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/12/08/how-will-arsenal-cope-without-gabriel-jesus/embed/#?secret=PKiVICPTCq" data-secret="PKiVICPTCq" width="500" height="282" title="“How will Arsenal cope without Gabriel Jesus?” — Pain in the Arsenal" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div> <p>Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba are still going strong for their respective nations at the time of writing, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if we don’t see them in Dubai at all.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">