Arsenal: What does the preseason actually mean to anything?

Arsenal fans are basing a ton of optimism off of the preseason, but what has it ever meant in the past? Big gobs of nothing, that’s what.

Those of you that read Pain in the Arsenal know that, for the most part, I am an eternal optimist. Every year I predict that the Gunners are going to win a treble. Not because I’m diluted (well, maybe I am) but because I truly believe in them.

Which probably makes me crazy, but I digress. The reason I started off with this intro is because I am feeling a heavy does of cynicism lately. Not pessimism, mind you, but cynicism.

This preseason has been pretty sparkly. There have been a lot of individual performances that stand out as what we hope will translate into actually season successes. That would be such a wonderful, convenient thing to have happen.

Matteo Guendouzi is one of the big sparklers from the preseason. Now we all want to see him start against Manchester City (hell, even I do). Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson have also impressed, yet again, and we want more of them.

And I do hope we see plenty of these three and of everyone else, but I have to ask a question that I really don’t want to ask – what has ever become of preseason successes? Like, ever?

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Just off the top of my head, I recall three amazing preseasons had by three different players at three crucial times, none of which amounted to anything. Those three are Yaya Sanogo, Chuba Akpom and Jeff Reine-Adelaide.

All three players have, in the past five years or so, impressed at least once (sometimes twice) in a preseason stretch. Impressed so much that many fans swore that they were ready to take the season by storm.

Only for it to amount to nothing. Sometimes even less than nothing.

I don’t say this to be a negative Nancy. I’m not trying to downplay how good some players have looked in the preseason, the three aforementioned in particular, I just can’t help but listen to that annoying voice in my head that’s saying that we’ve been here before.

The only reason why I’m not stating outright that this all means nothing is because I have this optimism that because it’s Unai Emery, it’s all going to be different.

Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. I’m just dying to find out.