Four Takeaways From Arsenal’s Emphatic Win Over Girona in Preseason Debut

Arsenal cruised to a 4–1 victory over Girona on Saturday night to officially kick off their preseason in the best way possible.

Kai Havertz started the Arsenal party 16 minutes in when he calmly buried his one-on-one chance off of a delicious Max Dowman assist. Summer signing Christos Tzolis then added a second before half time, his first goal in Arsenal colors since joining from Club Brugge.

Girona responded immediately after the interval with Arnau Martínez winning in the air from a corner, but Arsenal answered emphatically with two goals in the next five minutes. Dowman restored the two-goal lead with a brilliant hit into the bottom corner, and Gabriel Jesus then took advantage of a nice Ben White recovery to score Arsenal’s fourth in the 55th minute.

A flurry of substitutions then disjointed the game, but overall, Mikel Arteta’s side was vastly superior and categorically dominated every aspect of the game. Although the competition was undeniably inferior, it was obvious that the Premier League champions will be contenders for every piece of major silverware they fight for come the start of the season.

Max Dowman Must Be Unleashed

There are few young players in the world with a higher ceiling than Arsenal teenager Max Dowman. Despite still being months away from turning 17, the Hale End product continues to make a strong case for a prominent role come the start of the season.

Dowman was Arsenal’s most threatening player against Girona. Seemingly every time the ball came to him, there was the sense that he was seconds away from producing magic—and he was. Nothing really happened during the early exchanges until Dowman dropped into midfield to receive a pass, turn away from his marker with a stellar first touch, take a few quick touches and then slide a perfectly-weighted pass to leave Havertz’s one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

When Girona got one back, Dowman received the ball in the right half-space, cut inside and fired a bullet into the bottom corner to restore order. His already strong quality as a creator and finisher was on full display, but perhaps his intelligence is what should earn him more playing time come the new season. He is still raw and needs time to develop, but he knows when to get rid of the ball, when to recycle possession and when to take on his man. He picks his moments cleverly and is an unselfish attacker.

It’s understandable why Arteta somewhat treated Dowman with kid-gloves a season ago, but that can’t be the case once the new term starts. He’s a player capable of significantly helping Arsenal reach their season objectives. Bukayo Saka, when healthy, is the undisputed starter on the right wing, but Dowman is more than capable of being the second alternative ahead of Noni Madueke.

Positive Start for Christos Tzolis

Arsenal acquiring left winger Tzolis from Club Brugge wasn’t the flashiest of signings, but it became clear Saturday why Arteta viewed him as a solid alternative to replace Leandro Trossard.

Tzolis made his Arsenal debut—outside of a closed friendly—and although he wasn’t as dazzling as Dowman on the other wing, the Greece international provided a glimpse of what he can offer. Tzolis has already grasped how Arteta wants his wingers to play, holding the width on the left to help Arsenal's positional style in possession.

His positional discipline also helped him bag the first goal of his Arsenal career. Once Arsenal escaped Girona’s press on the right wing, Ricardo Calafiori was able to find Tzolis one-on-one against a defender as he entered the box from the left. The winger, with space and only a man to beat, calmly made a move inside and fired a shot that found the back of the net after a slight deflection.

It is clear that Tzolis has flaws—particularly when forced to use his weak foot. Still, the 24-year-old is already showing he’s up to speed with what Arteta wants and finished the game with the joint-most touches in the opposition’s box (six). Tzolis could easily end up looking like an incredibly wise investment.

Arsenal’s Defense Remains Team’s Biggest Strength

Even without the likes of Jurriën Timber, Gabriel and William Saliba, Arsenal’s starting backline against Girona consisted of Ben White, Piero Hincapié, Christian Mosquera and Ricardo Calafiori. The depth is simply ridiculous.

That back four could easily start for most other teams in Europe. At Arsenal, they could all potentially fail to make Arteta’s top XI if every defender is available.

Still, during the opening 45 minutes against Girona, Arsenal’s defense was dominant.

Despite having 57% possession at the 20-minute mark, Girona looked completely outclassed by Arsenal's stout defense. The hosts could only muster two shots during the first half, and both came from outside the box and weren’t on target. By the time the half ended, Girona had recorded just one touch in Arsenal’s box.

Arsenal’s defense steered them towards Premier League glory a season ago. Entering the new season, the depth and quality of Arteta’s backline continues to be second-to-none in Europe. The Gunners can compete for every trophy available if only for the ridiculous strength of their rearguard.

Underwhelming Homecoming for Ethan Nwaneri

Ethan Nwaneri played his first game for Arsenal since returning from a six-month loan at Marseille, and the Hale End teenager had a rather irrelevant reintroduction to the side.

The 19-year-old didn’t misplace a single one of his 26 pass attempts, but as an attacking midfielder, he failed to significantly influence Arsenal’s efforts in the final third. He created one chance early, but spent the majority of his 62-minute cameo recycling possession and lacking incisiveness, edge and aggressiveness, always settling for the safe option rather than trying to make something happen.

After bursting onto the scene with Arsenal, the teenager looks out of confidence following a season where limited playing time forced him to go on loan. At Marseille, he arrived as a starter but slowly started getting fewer and fewer minutes until he ended the season barely even playing.

Dowman’s emergence pushes Nwaneri further down the pecking order, and underwhelming performances like the one against Girona only further cast uncertainty over the teenager’s future. There is no guarantee that Nwaneri is still an Arsenal player by the end of the transfer window.

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