Arsenal: 4 far too early takeaways from pre-season

The Premier League season draws ever closer. Preparations are good fun in the mean time, watching Arsenal lose matches and not having to be upset by the results as well as all of the transfer ongoings. It’s a nice yearly change of scenery.

It’s also only three matches down for Mikel Arteta’s side. In other words, there is almost nothing to conclusively draw from these games without jumping the gun. We will anyway.

A tour of Scotland was a wise idea from the club (Kieran Tierney actually) due to the minimal travel and weather conditions, with Hibernian and Rangers providing some quality fitness outings.

Would they have been called ‘matches’ if Arsenal had won? Probably.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Arsenal: 4 far too early takeaways from pre-season fixtures against Hibernian, Rangers and Millwall following 4-1 win on Saturday

The Hibernian game was an unfortunate meeting with an error for debutant Arthur Okonkwo and the start of what appears to be some worrying set piece frailties, but a solid run-out nonetheless.

A strong performance with multiple chances created against Rangers didn’t provide the desired result. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was guilty of numerous missed chances and the dead ball concerns reared their heads again with two poorly conceded goals, but Nuno Tavares scored on his debut. That was pleasant.

So when Arsenal absolutely wiped the floor with Millwall on Saturday and confirmed their place as Premier League title challengers next season by winning 4-1, all returned to normal.

It was an enjoyable performance. All wins usually are. The first victory of the summer at the third attempt may not have been the Inter showdown fans and sponsors were hoping for but it was 11 men in Arsenal jerseys kicking a ball around and doing it relatively well.

Thus with a whole three(!) games down, what observations are there to make that are more than likely far too soon to decipher?

1. Thomas Partey Can Actually Shoot and Just Hasn’t Been Close to Fit

It’s been unmissable; one of the most eye-catching aspects of the entire pre-season so far: Thomas Partey can actually shoot!

This comes with the caveat that, yes, he hasn’t actually converted any of the aforementioned shots. He’s come darn close, though.

Smacking the post with a wonderful free-kick against Hibernian, Partey has followed that up with some vastly improved efforts from range. The first task for him was simply hitting the target, and he’s now moved on to making the goalkeeper actually work. It’s a marked improvement.

Has he been taking extra shooting drills with Steve Round and Mohamed Elneny? Or could it be another reason?

Here’s a wild theory, maybe he just hasn’t been fit. At all.

Sure he’s played for Arsenal and been available for periods of last season, but with so many niggling issues there is strong reason to believe that he hasn’t been anywhere close to the levels he can be to perform to his fullest. The sample size is small and the opposition not of the highest calibre, but he does looks sharp and physically able.

While time will tell, he was never this atrocious from distance at Atletico Madrid. So here’s to hoping.