ORLANDO, FLORIDA - JULY 23: Arsenal fans show their support during the Florida Cup match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Camping World Stadium on July 23, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
4 takeaways from Arsenal’s US pre-season tour
by Adam Schultz
Arsenal went undefeated during their three-game US tour; defeating Everton, Orlando City, and Chelsea. But what were some of the biggest takeaways?
Pre-season tours are a chance for fans overseas to see their team play in the flesh – perhaps for the very first time. For Arsenal fans in the United States, this was their chance to watch the Gunners strut their stuff.
And boy, did they.
Arsenal won all three games, scored nine goals, and conceded just once. It was a great couple of weeks as the club welcomed Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko on board during the tour, adding to the Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner, and Marquinhos signings.
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1551023873449230336?s=20&t=4FjGboYoP9Ym1HpZY985Rw
We saw some scintillating football from Mikel Arteta’s side and some not-so-scintillating football, but that is what pre-season is about—getting the match fitness up to standard, developing cohesion within the squad while also allowing some of the younger players to get some game time.
For the most part, Arsenal’s tour of the US was an unbridled success, and they now return home to prepare to face Sevilla in the Emirates Cup before the opening Premier League game next Friday night.
4 takeaways from Arsenal’s US pre-season tour
The United States tour gave us plenty of things to be excited about. Here are my takeaways from the Gunners’ preseason in the States.
1. Arsenal’s support was huge
The Gunners have fans in every corner of the globe, so it’s no surprise that fans ultimately follow when the team goes away from its north London base.
This was seen in the US against Everton, Orlando City, and Chelsea; the stands were packed with red and white shirts. So much so that they dominated the percentage of fans in the stadiums, even against Chelsea.
https://twitter.com/Frimpon/status/1551268287513772033?s=20&t=4FjGboYoP9Ym1HpZY985Rw
We saw plenty of content from Arsenal’s social media as it was stuffed with thousands upon thousands of fans daily getting their merchandise signed or posing with players for pictures; it was a welcome sight.
There was no lack of support for the Gunners on their travels, and one can only imagine what it will be like at the Emirates when the team tackles Sevilla on the weekend.
Continued on next slide…
Oleksandr Zinchenko</a> on board during the tour, adding to the Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner, and Marquinhos signings.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1551023873449230336?s=20&t=4FjGboYoP9Ym1HpZY985Rw</p>
<p>We saw some scintillating football from Mikel Arteta’s side and some not-so-scintillating football, but that is what pre-season is about—getting the match fitness up to standard, developing cohesion within the squad while also allowing some of the younger players to get some game time.</p>
<p>For the most part, Arsenal’s tour of the US was an unbridled success, and they now return home to prepare to face Sevilla in the Emirates Cup before the opening Premier League game next Friday night.</p>
<h2>4 takeaways from Arsenal’s US pre-season tour</h2>
<p>The United States tour gave us plenty of things to be excited about. Here are my takeaways from the Gunners’ preseason in the States.</p>
<h2>1. Arsenal’s support was huge</h2>
<p>The Gunners have fans in every corner of the globe, so it’s no surprise that fans ultimately follow when the team goes away from its north London base.</p>
<p>This was seen in the US against Everton, Orlando City, and Chelsea; the stands were packed with red and white shirts. So much so that they dominated the percentage of fans in the stadiums, even against Chelsea.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/Frimpon/status/1551268287513772033?s=20&t=4FjGboYoP9Ym1HpZY985Rw</p>
<p>We saw plenty of content from Arsenal’s social media as it was stuffed with thousands upon thousands of fans daily getting their merchandise signed or posing with players for pictures; it was a welcome sight.</p>
<p>There was no lack of support for the Gunners on their travels, and one can only imagine what it will be like at the Emirates when the team tackles Sevilla on the weekend.</p>
<p><em>Continued on 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/2022/07/25/takeaways-arsenal-us-preseason-tour/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Takeaway #2 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">ORLANDO, FLORIDA – JULY 23: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal celebrates with teammate Gabriel Martinelli after scoring their side’s second goal during the Florida Cup match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Camping World Stadium on July 23, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>2. Arsenal are building nicely toward the season</h2>
<p>Pre-season is a great time to work on things during training and make subtle tactical adjustments. For Arsenal, we have seen this play out.</p>
<p>Against Everton, the Gunners were ruthless in the first half, with the majority of the first team playing, as was the case in the second half against Orlando City. Then, the Chelsea game was complete domination.</p>
<p>While some say that young players should be given valuable minutes, we have seen that it can also be critical in integrating new players into the team. Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have both slotted in seamlessly, as has William Saliba.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/TheAFCnewsroom/status/1551165370253418497?s=20&t=4FjGboYoP9Ym1HpZY985Rw</p>
<p>Being undefeated in the pre-season doesn’t win you any trophies in the domestic season, but it can set you up nicely heading into the first part of the campaign.</p>
<p>This time last year, Arsenal struggled to score and win games; it is the polar opposite this time and is a sight for sore eyes.</p>
<p>Again, the US tour has been used to perfection by Mikel as he has gotten players into the team he wanted, has given them game time, and we saw what kind of team the Gunners could be in 2022/23.</p>
<p><em>Continued on 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/2022/07/25/takeaways-arsenal-us-preseason-tour/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Takeaway #3 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-127992 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/25/takeaways-arsenal-us-preseason-tour/"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%2F1409221059.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1409221059.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1409221059-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JULY 16: William Saliba #12 of Arsenal and Dominic Calvert-Lewin #9 of Everton go after the ball in the first half during a preseason friendly at M&T Bank Stadium on July 16, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3. William Saliba is the real deal</h2>
<p>The 21-year-old has been nothing short of fantastic this pre-season. Deployed in the heart of defence alongside Gabriel, the Frenchman has not missed a beat. In each game, Saliba has oozed confidence, been calm with the ball at his feet, and has dealt with anything thrown his way with ease. It is almost like he is a level above at the moment.</p>
<p>Before the Chelsea game, some had argued that he had not played against top-quality opposition, so his performances were less than.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/TikiTakaConnor/status/1551118560562397184?s=20&t=4FjGboYoP9Ym1HpZY985Rw</p>
<p>His performances will no doubt give the boss serious selection headaches. Against the Blues, he didn’t put a foot wrong the entire game. The young defender comfortably dealt with Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Raheem Sterling despite barely getting out of second gear.</p>
<p>With only one more game to play before the league opener away at Palace, there is a genuine chance that the player who we feared was lost to Ligue 1 <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/25/takeaways-arsenal-us-preseason-tour/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/22/saliba-not-yet-agreed-arsenal-contract-extension/">could become a staple of this Arsenal side</a>.</p>
<p>Arteta’s decision to loan him out last season looks like a masterstroke now, doesn’t it?</p>
<p><em>Continued on 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/2022/07/25/takeaways-arsenal-us-preseason-tour/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Takeaway #4 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-127991 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/25/takeaways-arsenal-us-preseason-tour/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1068,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1410178181.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1068" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1410178181.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1410178181-768x513.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">ORLANDO, FL – JULY 20: Gabriel Jesus (9) of Arsenal dribbles the ball while Antônio Carlos (25) of Orlando City defends during a game between Arsenal FC and Orlando City at Exploria Stadium on July 20, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Trevor Ruszkowski/ISI Photos/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>4. Gabriel Jesus is a game changer for Arsenal</h2>
<p>From January, we all knew that Arsenal needed a new number nine. A top-quality one at that. Mikel Arteta and Edu went to task about bringing in Gabriel Jesus and what a signing he has been so far.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old has hit the ground running and has torn teams apart in the process. His double against FC Nurnberg was unique, and he followed that up with another goal against Everton.</p>
<p>Jesus was excellent without scoring against Orlando City, but he did get on the scoresheet amid a menacing display in the Florida Cup. His sumptuous dink over Edouard Mendy to open the scoring was one of the goals of the tour.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1550999096349151243?s=20&t=4FjGboYoP9Ym1HpZY985Rw</p>
<p>The Brazilian has transformed Arsenal’s attack in ways many didn’t suspect. With all the creativity from the midfield and winger positions, Arsenal needed that one player up top to tie it all together, and he has done with aplomb.</p>
<p>His energy, high-intensity pressing, link-up play, and skill have set him on the path to becoming a fan favourite. The Brazilian’s almost been unplayable in each of his appearances thus far.</p>
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<p>For the first time in a couple of seasons, Arsenal fans will enter the new league season with ample amounts of excitement and expectations simply because of Gabriel Jesus.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
