Arsenal Vs Atletico Madrid: Please, just don’t overhype Emile Smith Rowe

Emile Smith Rowe scored a phenomenal goal in a brilliant performance in Arsenal’s preseason friendly against Atletico Madrid. But please, please don’t overhype him just yet.

As Unai Emery stated after Arsenal’s penalty shootout loss to Atletico Madrid in the International Champions Cup on Thursday, this was the perfect stage for a young player to show what they are capable of. That is precisely what Emile Smith Rowe did.

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The young midfielder started alongside Aaron Ramsey in the heart of the Gunners’ midfield. He played with an eerily similar vibrancy and freedom as the marauding Welshman, only it was he that produced that moment of rare and special quality that we are so used to seeing from his midfield partner.

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It came only moments after half-time. Arsenal had, predictably, poorly conceded to leave themselves in trouble. And then Smith Rowe, collecting the ball just in front of a defender towards the right side of the pitch, about 30 yards from the goal, slalomed his way past a couple of wayward Madrid legs, wandered towards the central edge of the penalty area and took aim, curling an arrowed shot into the far corner of the goal.

And it wasn’t just the goal that got everybody excited about his performance. Smith Rowe was wonderfully comfortable on the ball, confidently looking to receive it in tight spaces, happy to play under pressure. His passing was crisp, accurate and forward-thinking, his dribbling was tight and controlled, and his mentality was attacking and intentional, showing great spatial awareness and intelligence as he wandered throughout the pitch looking for those pockets of space in between the tightly-packed Madrid lines.

It was an excellent performance, an exciting performance, one that immediately casts vision to what could be. He is, after all, just a tender 17-year-old yet to make a competitive senior appearance. The world, as they say, is his oyster.

And it’s at this point that we all must do exactly what we don’t want to: apply the brakes. He is, after all, just a tender 17-year-old yet to make a competitive senior appearance. This may have been one of the most tantalising displays by an Arsenal youngster in some time, following on from another good performance against Boreham Wood earlier this summer. But there’s a long way to go.

Smith Rowe still has much work to be done. He still has to work his way into the senior squad. He has to avoid the stagnation and rotting that come in the reserves. He must continue to develop his talent, to fine-tune his skills, to hone his game and round-out his ability. He must relentlessly impress Emery. He must make it impossible for Emery to not play him.

One preseason moment or performance does not make a career. Yes, Smith Rowe is a wonderfully gifted footballer who, I am sure, will be exciting to watch to grow in the coming years. But, please, please don’t overhype him just yet. He still has a long way to go.