Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal vs MK Dons: 3 Things We Learned

By Henry Payne

Arsenal's Spanish head coach Mikel Arteta looks on during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Watford at the Emirates Stadium in London on July 26, 2020. (Photo by NEIL HALL / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by NEIL HALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal's Spanish head coach Mikel Arteta looks on during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Watford at the Emirates Stadium in London on July 26, 2020. (Photo by NEIL HALL / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by NEIL HALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal were in pre-season action on Tuesday, cruising to a 4-1 win over League One side MK Dons at Stadium MK.

Arsenal returned to action tonight for the first time since their FA Cup triumph over Chelsea. Although first-team players only returned to training on last weekend, Mikel Arteta started with a strong team. William Saliba made his long-awaited debut and Ainsley Maitland-Niles started despite reports of an imminent move to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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Speaking with the club’s media department last week, it was apparent that Arteta wanted to see a “reaction” from his players during pre-season. His team certainly started brightly, as they scored twice inside the first ten minutes. Mohamed Elneny capitalised on an errant pass from the MK Dons goalkeeper to spectacularly open the scoring, before Eddie Nketiah added a second with a composed finish. Rob Holding scored a stunning own goal on the half-hour mark, but second-half goals from Mark McGuinness and Reiss Nelson ensured that Arsenal started their pre-season with a win.

While no one should have any major takeaways from tonight’s friendly, there were three things which were worth noting.

Arsenal, William Saliba
Arsenal, William Saliba (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images) /

William Saliba Is Very Good

Making his long-awaited debut, the physically imposing William Saliba was as good as advertised. Starting as the right-sided centre-back, his composure in possession was very encouraging. The talented 19-year-old consistently made himself available to Bernd Leno and took every opportunity to advance the ball. The highlight of his display was his fine pass to unleash Cédric Soares in the build-up to Eddie Nketiah’s goal.

Tougher challenges await Saliba, and it is vitally important to temper expectations. Nevertheless, he made a very good first impression before being withdrawn at half-time.

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