![]() ![]() “It is great to see him scoring,” Arteta said. Trossard can play in four different positions and the £21 million signing has already become one of Arsenal’s most useful players. The first was a fierce left-footed effort, following a quick stepover, while his second was an instinctive volley from a more central position. His two goals here were a demonstration of his best qualities. Based on his form in pre-season, Trossard might consider himself the favourite to start in the left-wing position when the campaign begins, ahead of Martinelli. The Belgian was Arsenal’s back-up option, yes, but his technical quality has added a different dimension to their forward play. Arsenal fans wanted the shiny new player from Ukraine, rather than the Brighton forward who cost a quarter of the price.Ī few months down the line, though, there cannot be a single Arsenal supporter who would swap Trossard for Mudryk, who has struggled so much at Chelsea. Such was the excitement around Arsenal’s pursuit of Mykhailo Mudryk in January, there were many supporters who initially viewed the arrival of Trossard as something of a disappointment. As with Arsenal’s newfound fluidity, it is a sign of the difference that Havertz can make to this team and another explanation for why he was signed for £65 million. This is the sort of movement that never came naturally to Granit Xhaka, the player Havertz has replaced in that midfield position. Saka’s cross found Martin Odegaard, whose downward header was prodded in by Havertz at the back post. Havertz was not picked out by Saka on the first few occasions he darted into the box, but the opportunity was always there and it was no surprise that the ball eventually fell his way. When Saka had the ball on the right wing in the first half here in Los Angeles, the German repeatedly attacked the back post. On the team sheet he will be listed as a central midfielder and, on this evidence, he will certainly play as a central midfielder when Arsenal do not have the ball.īut this friendly against Barcelona showed that there would be moments in matches when Havertz also plays as a forward. It will be hard to define Havertz’s role this season. ![]() But it is becoming clear that Arsenal are trying to add in-game rotation to their list of attacking weapons as Arteta looks to evolve his side this season. It will take some time for the system to be perfected, of course, and not all of Arteta’s players are capable of playing in multiple roles – Gabriel Martinelli, for example, is unlikely to pop up in a central midfield position any time soon. When it works, Arsenal will be an unpredictable side with a variety of attacking threats. The swapping of positions is the result of the versatility that Arsenal have added to their team in recent transfer windows and, evidently, it makes them a far more complicated opponent. This is fluidity in the extreme, especially when Saka (who missed a first-half penalty) drifted inside to play centre-forward instead of Jesus for a few minutes. Within 15 minutes of kick-off, all three of those players had appeared in all three of those positions. Fluidity in the front lineĪrsenal started the night with Havertz in midfield, Trossard on the left wing and Gabriel Jesus as a central striker. ![]() Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha struck for Barcelona in the first half, before Ferran Torres added a late consolation goal for Xavi’s side. Arsenal were the dominant team for most of the game and, in the stadium built by owners Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, they produced some scintillating attacking football.īukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard (twice) and Fabio Vieira all scored for Arsenal, who attacked throughout the match but did look defensively vulnerable at times. ![]()
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