After playing pre-season matches against FC Nurnburg (1-1 final score) and the MLS All-Stars (5-0 final score, Arsenal win), Arsenal faced Manchester United in the second of its’ three games on the U.S. pre-season tour last Wednesday. It was, in the end, a loss for Arsenal to the tune of 0-2 and could’ve easily been more if not for a multiple misses from United that should’ve been at least put on target if not scored.

Now, obviously this is an exhibition game that has no official significance for either team, and is meant to serve as a stepping stone toward to ultimate goal of being prepared for the start of the Premier League season in mid-August. Regardless of that fact, there are a few key takeaways from the game that should be taken away as things to watch for Arsenal as the start of the season approaches:

1. Lack of cohesion and sharpness was evident, but not entirely surprising, at this phase of pre-season
   • Overall, it was a collectively poor performance from Arsenal. Except for a couple rare occasions, the signature passing movements up the field were absent as there was a disjointed feel to the team as a whole. Possibly playing a key role in this was the starting lineup. Along with the three marquee summer signings of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber, Mikel Arteta chose to start Eddie Nketiah up front and Takehiro Tomiyasu at left back. This means that half the outfield players who started were either brand new to the team or in the case of Nketiah and Tomiyasu, were not first choice starters for the bulk of last season. Combine that with the step up in competition to fellow Premier League side Manchester United, who finished right behind Arsenal in the league last year, and you have the ingredients for a difficult game. In comparison, United’s lineup featured three players in a similar vein. Alejandro Garnacho, Mason Mount, and Kobbie Mainoo had five total starts in the first team last season (spoiler: Garnacho represents all five as Mount was with Chelsea last season and Mainoo with the United Under-21 team). Yet, as a unit, United created better chances and gelled better with these new additions involved. Pre-season is the time to experiment with the line-up, get players acclimated to the system, and be sure everyone is on the same page. In a season where depth will be as important as it’s been in recent years for Arsenal, being able to count on Nketiah, Tomiyasu, and others to make more meaningful impacts when called upon will be essential.
2. Arsenal were susceptible to long passes from the United goalkeeper as well as from the midfield area toward the attacking third of the field
   • On multiple occasions, a long pass from either the United goalkeeper Tom Heaton or from deep in the United defensive third led to a goal or a key chance. Antony’s miss and Jadon Sancho’s goal came from passes from deep defensive territory, and Bruno Fernandes’ goal came directly from a Heaton long pass to midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who played it to Fernandes. Although large mistakes from Arsenal defensive players made the passes that much harder to deal with, it will be important to formulate ways to deal with them going forward.
3. Significant errors led directly to the two goals United were able to score
   • Picking up from the last point, poor moments from Gabriel and Aaron Ramsdale ended up being primary catalysts for both the goals United scored. For the first goal from Fernandes, although he was not closed down effectively by the defense, his shot was taken from well outside the box and should’ve been a routine save for Ramsdale. Instead, as the ball bounced right in front of his gloves, he was unable to corral it and the ball went thorough his hands into the back of the net. For Sancho’s, Gabriel was well positioned to deal with the pass and attempted to kick the ball right back into the United half but completely missed. As he was the last line of defense, Sancho was able to run by Gabriel, take the ball all the way down and scored with what was an admittedly great strike to Ramsdale’s near post. United had three shots on target all game, all three coming in the first half, and scored two. In the end, no matter the reasons or analysis, United took advantage of its’ few chances and needs to be given credit for doing so where Arsenal couldn’t.
4. Lack of any real offensive threat for Arsenal throughout the game, with half the shots on target coming 11 minutes in
   • Arsenal’s starting front three of Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, and Bukayo Saka were unable to get on the scoresheet during their shifts. Martinelli had the best chances of the day, coming from point blank range, but was unable to score after Tom Heaton saved both the first shot and the rebound. Nketiah had his chance come soon after the start of the second half, and missed the goal in a 1v1 opportunity with the keeper via an excellent free kick from Martin Odegaard. While it was a tough angle, the minimum in that scenario would be to make the keeper make a save. Otherwise, Nketiah was absent for much of his time on the field. Saka had a few good moments on the right hand side, but overall was unable to create anything of substance. Substitutions of Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, and Fabio Vieira up front were also ineffective outside of a header from Jesus that was easily saved by Heaton.

As Arsenal wrap up their U.S. tour in Los Angeles against reigning La Liga champions Barcelona, it will be important to tighten up the loose ends shown against United. I will be interested to see what the lineup looks like, along with how the team responds to this loss. With only two games left in the pre-season after Barcelona, the start of the 2023-2024 campaign is right around the corner, and a victory against the Catalan’s will go a long way in the preparations for a full slate of competition both domestically and on the European front this upcoming season.

Until next time!