This summer soccer season opened up with Arsenal drawing a pre-season match against FC Nurnberg. This friendly match took place on 13th July, Thursday evening. Supporters managed to get a glimpse of the Gunners after the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. It appeared that Arsenal would snatch an easy victory after Bukayo Saka made the initial goal very early during the game.
On the other hand, the host team seemed tough and struck back with an aggressive attack soon after Saka’s strike. Arsenal seemed scattered during the second half of the match brought the advantage for Nurnberg and took this opportunity to equalize the score. Despite it being a friendly match, Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta, would have preferred to win the match for personal satisfaction.
Positives And Negatives In Arsenal’s Game
Fans and followers have been discussing the role of Jakub Kiwior during the Thursday game. Many have also pointed out the unofficial debut match of Kai Havertz and the dominance of youth in Arsenal’s strategy. Arteta made a surprising game-player selection for XI that included Saka. This superstar player featured in all the contests during Premier League last season. He also played for England last month.
Arsenal’s Drawbacks In Pre-Season
Nketiah exhibited a disappointing performance and could be replaced by Folarin Balogun. The latter worked tirelessly throughout the match but had difficulty in finding the groove despite the Gunners having major possession of the ball.
Balogun dropped deep so he could fill the void left by Leandro Trossard while he went wide. Balogun even tried to combine as much as he could but Nketiah remained anonymous throughout the third final. Arteta brought a pleasant surprise by including Saliba who appeared fit and smooth throughout the match and may add more during the season.
