I know it was just an exhibition match, but the play was spirited and open. We got to see what some of the young guys could do. And we won. It didn't look as though anyone picked up an injury, either. I was encouraged by the way guys like Zelalem and Reine-Adelaide played. Holding and Bielek as central defenders were unconvincing, but it didn't prove fatal. Drogba bullied them pretty thoroughly. Chambers looked more assured when he came in. I thought that Arsenal was good value for the scoreline. It could have been like 4-3 or even 6-4 had the forwards been more clinical, but Arsenal looked better on the night, despite having so many youngsters out there. Yes, it was a hastily assembled group of non-teammates, but MLS beat Spurs last year, and several other London clubs before that.
Xhaka has a shot, doesn't he? He looked like a mid who will pot 5 or 6 for us from deep. The Jeff, Akpom, Iwobi, and Willock seemed almost as effective as the Ox, who played like a man who had something to prove. Walcott didn't do much to help himself. Wilshere did his job and I hope he rounds into form by the start of the season. I love the way Elneny gets back on defense; no one works harder. No EPL team is going to give us that much space in the attacking third, but there were some nice combinations in attack.
I don't really want to talk about transfers, but I guess I have to. Do we need Mahrez? I don't know. Having him and Alexis on the field at the same time seems dangerous for us and the opponent. We still need a striker and a central defender, and they have to be top drawer. I like the midfield. But we can only play five of them at one time. Guys like Walcott and Campbell may be surplus, as good as they are. Coquelin, Wilshere, Cazorla, Walcott, Campbell, the Ox, and Ramsey are not certain starters. Hell, maybe Ozil is the only certain starting midfielder, and Alexis when his ankle heals. Someone has to make room for the Jeff, and Mahrez would have to start if we buy him.
Will Gibbs want to move on? Will Debuchy be moved on? We need fullbacks if they do. Who knows what will happen with Szczesny. Well, it won't be long until the season starts and we're tested against massively reinforced opponents with powerhouse new managers. I don't think Chuba Akpom is going to be our savior. It'll be interesting.
