Mikel Arteta was encouraged by the performance of his new-look midfield against Man Utd but says the 2-0 defeat proved Arsenal have a lot to improve before the Premier League begins.
Summer signings Declan Rice and Kai Havertz played alongside captain Martin Odegaard on Saturday night, with another new arrival Jurrien Timber starting in defence.
While individual errors cost the Gunners, with Bruno Fernandes’ shot going past Aaron Ramsdale too easily and Jadon Sancho capitalising on a missed clearance from Gabriel Magalhaes, Arteta saw promising early signs from his midfield trio – although admitted it will take time for them to build understanding between them.
“When they play 55 times together, it will be better, it will flow better, they will understand each other better and we will be more dominant,” said Arteta. “But things take time to glide, and we have to respect that.
“I saw a lot of positive things, things I really like much more than the game that we won [against the MLS All-Stars] although the result is very different.”
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Arteta also has words of praise for Timber’s display. “Really pleased with his performance and what we asked him to do,” said the Arsenal head coach. “He’s adapting really quickly to the team. You can see the confidence and the determination he plays with.”
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However, Arteta admitted the bigger picture was something of a wake-up call and reminder that Arsenal will have to raise their levels to match or surpass what they achieved in the Premier League last season and build on that second-placed finish.
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“The positives are that a test match, at this level, in this context gives you a lot of information,” said Arteta. “That’s always very positive.
Image: Mikel Arteta tries to get his message across during Arsenal's defeat to Man Utd
“That information is that there are a lot of things to improve, how important the boxes are as always – because if Gabriel Martinelli put the two chances he has away we go 2-0 up and probably it would be a bit different.
“That errors are part of football and you have to overcome them as well. And a test to see as well how painful it is to lose a football match even if it’s a test match. I want to see those players hurting and then as well how the team reacts after a defeat, which is a good test as well.
“Physically it’s been really demanding and some players we wanted to expose a little bit more than they have done because of the way we want to build the physical state.
“Overall, they had their moments where they were more efficient, we had ours. We had more dominance. We certainly had our chances in the second half, but the chances that we had we didn’t convert them and they won the game.”
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On the challenge ahead for Arsenal this season, he added: “You asked me yesterday about how difficult or easy the season will be. It’s going to be more difficult, more challenging. The level and the preparation of every team is excellent.
“[Man Utd] played two games before this one. We knew that the test was going to be really demanding just as it will be on Wednesday against [Barcelona] one of the best teams in the world.”
What’s next?
Arsenal will look to get back to winning ways when they face Barcelona at Sofi Stadium on Thursday morning (July 27) as they conclude their US tour; kick-off 3.30am.
Arsenal’s pre-season fixtures and results
- July 8: Arsenal 1-1 Watford
- July 13: FC Nurnberg 1-1 Arsenal
- July 20: MLS All-Stars 0-5 Arsenal
- July 22: Man Utd 2-0 Arsenal
- July 27: Barcelona vs Arsenal, kick-off 3.30am (Sofi Stadium, USA)
- August 2: Arsenal vs Monaco – kick-off 6pm (Emirates Stadium)
- August 6: Arsenal vs Man City – kick-off 4pm (Wembley) FA Community Shield
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Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
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