ARSENAL fought their way to a 1-0 win over Italian giants AC Milan thanks to a scuffed Bukayo Saka finish from a Jakub Kiwior cross.
The Gunners wore their new away threads as they took on AC Milan in Singapore.
GettyArteta prepared his team for their first pre-season outing of the season[/caption]
New signing Christian Norgaard was handed a start, as was Kai Havertz as he looks to move past the injury issues that plagued his end to last season.
A quiet opening half brought no goals as Arsenal put the squeeze on their Italian opposition, who prioritised a counter-attacking strategy.
Saka broke the deadlock with the game’s only goal early in the second half after substitute Kiwior found him at the back post.
A ceremonial penalty shootout saw heroics from both keepers, with Milan eventually winning through sudden death.
Here’s how SunSport’s Mitchell Hall rated the Gunner’s maiden outing of the season…
David Raya – 6
The Spanish stopper had virtually nothing to do in the first half as AC Milan struggled to break into their opponent’s half.
He was typically calm in possession during the few instances that he had the ball, but it could not have been much easier for him on the day.
He was swapped with new arrival Kepa Arrizabalaga at half-time.
Ben White – 6
White slotted into Arteta’s back four at right-back, and pulled the strings from the edge of Milan‘s defensive third, releasing Saka into dangerous channels on multiple occasions.
Some of Milan‘s faster counters caught him too high up the pitch, and he struggled to control Rafael Leao without support from his central defenders.
However, on balance it was a quietly confident showing from the ex-England international.
William Saliba -7
The senior voice in the back line in the absence of Gabriel Magalhaes, Saliba had the unenviable task of marshalling the defensive line while trying to stop Milan‘s electric forward Leao.
For the most part, he did exactly that, turning their duels into a physical battle when possible, and holding his own for pace when it was not.
Riccardo Calafiori – 6
Calafiori experienced hot and cold spells in the match from the left centre-back position.
The hybrid defender, who can play across the back four, displayed his confidence when launching and joining attacks, but occasionally found himself caught out in transition and forced into tactical fouling.
He looked more comfortable when defending in a settled structure, and showed some composure to stand up his man in the box on a few occasions.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6
Zinchenko arrives into Arsenal‘s pre-season run with a point to prove after falling out of favour last campaign.
His passing was neat and he made no significant errors, but also failed to stand out in a way that might earn him a promotion within the standings of the squad.
On the balance of this match, Zinchenko looks ready to continue his role from last season as a reliable option to turn to if the situation requires it.
Christian Norgaard: 5
The Denmark international was handed a start in his first game for the gunners since making the move from Brentford in early July.
The move raised some question marks at the time, but the philosophy was clear on the pitch, with Norgaard holding to give Rice more license to attack.
He showed flashes of his ball winning brilliance, but ultimately struggled to keep up with the tricky midfield offerings of Milan before being substituted at half-time.
Declan Rice – 6
Rice provided his signature tempo to Arteta’s midfield, breaking up Milan’s early play and spraying accurate balls around the park in deep areas.
His influence on the match seemed to wane as play became increasingly channelled through the wide areas, bypassing the midfielders entirely.
A couple of eager tackles higher up the pitch threatened to launch counter attacks through quick passes to Martinelli and Havertz, but his teammates could not capitalise.
ReutersEthan Nwaneri left defender Strahinja Pavlovic scrambling with a cheeky spin near the edge of the pitch[/caption]
APNorgaard struggled to keep up with Milan’s midfielders on his debut[/caption]
Ethan Nwaneri – 8
Coming off the back of a break out season, and sporting his new number 22 shirt, the teenager is clearly brimming with confidence.
His deft spin past Strahinja Pavlovic twenty minutes in was enough to put a smile on any fan’s face, and his turn and volley minutes later was the closest anyone had come to opening the scoring at the time.
He was hooked at half-time to make way for Martin Odegaard, but it was a very promising outing for the young midfielder.
Gabriel Martinelli – 5
Martinelli enters pre-season in purgatory after another somewhat underwhelming campaign. He is yet to recapture the
His cheeky nutmeg and ball roll trickery in the 42nd minute was a reminder of his quality.
However, like for much of last season, he struggled to pull those flashes together into an effective performance, and ultimately failed to impact the game.
Bukayo Saka – 9
Saka took the captain’s armband in Singapore as he prepared to put last season’s intermittent injuries behind him.
Perhaps it was this drive that made him the most eager player on the pitch, dropping deep to receive the ball before turning and trying to take on his man, quickly becoming his sides main attacking outlet.
He seemed to have the better of teenage full back Davide Bartesaghi, but found it difficult to produce dangerous balls into the box once he had escaped his marker.
His confidence bloomed early in the second period, and he finally managed to make his mark in the 53rd minute as he latched onto the cross of substitute Kiwior and scuffed his strike past the goalkeeper.
Kai Havertz – 4
Arteta handed Havertz his first start since February after a hamstring injury derailed his end to the season.
For all Arsenal’s possession, they struggled to work it into dangerous central areas, forcing Havertz to drift wide or risk having the game pass him by.
When he did get on the ball, he did not seem quite up to the pace of play. Perhaps his lack of football over recent months has left him sluggish for these early pre-season clashes.
SUBS
Kepa Arrizabalaga (for Raya 46) – 7
Kepa found himself in much the same situation as his predecessor on the pitch, with there being very little for the stopper to do in normal time.
He saved the second, fourth and fifth penalties of the ceremonial shootout, which hints at some justification for his signing from London rivals Chelsea.
Jakub Kiwior for (Calafiori 46) – 8
Kiwior made a near instant impact as his perfect teasing ball to the back post found Saka in space. The assist was better than the finish, but they all count.
Kiwior has been a peripheral figure in recent seasons, but he couldn’t have hoped to be any more impactful than he was on the day with that contribution.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (for Zinchenko 46) -6
Arsenal’s other breakout youngster, Lewis-Skelly replaced the Ukrainian on the left of Arsenal’s back four.
He was allowed to drift into central areas from full-back, hinting at an interesting tactical role for him in the coming season under Arteta.
Like his predecessor, he made no significant errors, but failed to change the game.
GettySaka broke the deadlock with his 53rd minute strike, a scuffed effort from a Jakub Kiwior cross[/caption]
GettySaka and goalkeeper Pietro Terrecianno could only watch as the ball bounced into the net[/caption]
Martin Zubimendi (for Norgaard 46) – 6
Another debutant, this match was not best suited to showing off Zubimendi’s talents in midfield.
By the time of his arrival Arsenal were decisively on top, and most of the game was being played between the Gunners back line and their wide options.
Martin Odegaard (for Nwaneri 46) – 5
Martin Odegaard replaced the young Nwaneri, taking the armband on his arrival to the pitch as well.
Odegaard fired a free kick into the wall soon after his introduction and sprayed some crosses into the area, but there was no cutting edge to his play.
His missed first penalty in the shootout did not paint the picture of confidence expected from a hopeful Premier League winning captain.
Leandro Trossard (for Martinelli 46) – 7
Trossard seemed almost immediately more involved than his predecessor, eagerly getting on the ball and draing defenders into wide areas.
His play drew his team forward and led to Kiwior’s cross and the subsequent goal.
He zipped around with urgency during his time on the pitch and brought a tempo that Martinelli could learn from.
Marli Salmon (for Saliba 66) – 6
At just 15-years-old, Salmon was brought on to replace one of the most dominant defenders in world football.
It is a shame the game did not give him a chance to showcase his talents, but just being there and looking so comfortable on his debut is a massive endorsement for his mentality.
He seemed composed on the few occasions the ball came his way and didn’t panic when Milan threatened to break, but that was all he could do.
GettyZubimendi made his debut in Arsenal colours, but failed to make an impact[/caption]
ReutersMax Dowman made his debut at just 15-years-old, winning some fouls with some neat footwork[/caption]
Mikel Merino (for Rice 66) – 7
It seems with the return of Kai Havertz – and potentially the introduction of Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres – that Merino’s time as a situational striker has come to an end.
The Spaniard slotted into midfield for Rice with a third of the game to play, but it was an uneventful spell.
His one moment of threat came from a towering header from a corner, which seemed to be going goalwards before being tipped away.
Max Dowman (for Saka 66) – 7
It was a mature first-team debut for highly rated youngster Max Dowman.
Describing the 15-year-old, 2009-born Dowman as a youngster barely does his age justice when he is being introduced to a men’s game of football.
But he showed no fear, winning some free kicks early on and showing for the ball when possible, and his penalty may have been the pick of the bunch. The potential is clear to see.
Josh Nichols (for White 66) – 5
Nichols did not see much of the ball after his introduction, but did come across as panicked on the sparse occasions when he was called into making a defensive action.
That is surely to be expected of an 18-year-old however, and his positional discipline seemed to improve as he grew into the game.
Reiss Nelson (for Havertz 79) -5
The forgotten man at Arsenal over recent years, Reiss Nelson came on with too little time to make a serious impact, and faced similar issues as Havertz when trying to get on the ball.
He had one outside-of-the-box effort that may have been headed goalward, but it deflected off the head of a defender and went wide.
His missed penalty will also not help build his confidence ahead of an uncertain season for the English winger.
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