Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

4 positives from Arsenal’s win over FC Nurnberg

By Adam Schultz

NUREMBERG, GERMANY - JULY 08: Mikel Arteta, head coach of Arsenal talks to his players during the pre-season friendly match between 1. FC Nürnberg and Arsenal F.C. at Max-Morlock-Stadion on July 08, 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
NUREMBERG, GERMANY - JULY 08: Mikel Arteta, head coach of Arsenal talks to his players during the pre-season friendly match between 1. FC Nürnberg and Arsenal F.C. at Max-Morlock-Stadion on July 08, 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images) /
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NUREMBERG, GERMANY – JULY 08: Mikel Arteta, head coach of Arsenal talks to his players during the pre-season friendly match between 1. FC Nürnberg and Arsenal F.C. at Max-Morlock-Stadion on July 08, 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
NUREMBERG, GERMANY – JULY 08: Mikel Arteta, head coach of Arsenal talks to his players during the pre-season friendly match between 1. FC Nürnberg and Arsenal F.C. at Max-Morlock-Stadion on July 08, 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images) /

3. The Arsenal fightback

The first half was as poor as Arsenal could have played. Granted, the team was made up of players who are expected to be moved on in the coming weeks, but the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Sambi Lokonga, and Eddie Nketiah all started, so the performance should have been better.

What was pleasing was the turnaround in the second half. Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Mohamed Elneny, and Gabriel all came on, and the difference was immediately noticeable.

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1545458597454385153?s=20&t=p4KW1pDe7A_6opvDymuGHw

The players likely would have had the hairdryer treatment at half-time by Mikel Arteta, and they emerged a different beast as they overwhelmed Nurnberg in a devastating 12-minute spell.

Some will say that it’s only pre-season, and while yes, that is true, the team’s performances at this time last year were horrid. The way the switch was flicked and thanks mainly in part to the arrivals of the three Gabriels and Elneny, the Gunners ruthlessly clicked into gear.

The first-half performance was quickly forgotten, as it should be, but the second-half performance was far better and showed the type of football the team can play if it wants to.

Continued on the next slide…

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