Arsenal Focus – Decent Start or Cause for Concern?

After a couple of months of complete boredom, Arsenal and other clubs around the country finally kicked off their pre-season matches, signalling the beginning of what is shaping up to be a fantastic season.

Abandoning their familiar training camp in Austria, Arsenal set off for a tour of Asia. I watched their first game against a Malaysia XI on the Arsenal website (after their video service, Arsenal Player, crashed on its debut. Once its teething problems were over however, I witnessed Arsenal put in a very impressive performance, considering they hadn’t played together for a month or two. One the main stars was Aaron Ramsey. He looks like he could have a say in the Arsenal squad this year.  Not only did he score a penalty, he played a delicious pass to Theo Walcott to set up the second goal that Cesc Fabregas would be proud of. Just imagine what could have been if he wasn’t injured for the past year. And just imagine if he was English - I’d put him in the team straight away.

It was also good to see Nasri playing well. It must be hard for him with all the transfer speculation but he put in a good shift in the second half. Surprisingly, quite a few players did. Arshavin did very well, setting a goal up at the end, Carlos Vela with one of his trademark chips, and our defence wasn’t bad either, that’s our first clean sheet for months!

Oh wait, there was that one awkward moment when Mannone held onto the ball for over the six allotted seconds, giving Malaysia an indirect free-kick in the area, and Squillaci was as dodgy as ever, reminding me of that almost fatal error at West Brom last season. On the plus side, Vermaelen is looking good after his injury, just who to pair him with is Wenger’s dilemma. Neither Djourou nor Koscielny have really shone in pre-season so far, so it’s going to be a tough decision.

Nasri: Played well against Malaysia

There was one player, though, who really stood out for me. Not Robin Van Persie, not Jack Wilshere, but our Japanese teenager, Ryo Miyaichi. He is a player who looks like he has talent overflowing in him. He is one of the players I’ll be looking forward to watching at the Emirates Cup. At this stage, he looks better than Jack Wilshere was this time last year. I hope he breaks into the first team, rather than sending him out on loan. Although it didn’t go too bad last time, he played for Feyenoord and was easily their best player. One thing is for certain, though, Wenger does not have not have to buy a midfielder this season.

Miyaichi: Impressed in both pre-season games

The second pre-season game, against Chinese side Hangzhou Greentown, was a different story. The defence was dreadful. Guess who was at fault? That’s right, Squillaci. Again, the man just can’t defend to save his life. I reckon he should retire and never touch a football again. Or alternatively, go and join Spurs. If he is performing like that in pre-season against half-decent Chinese teams, how the hell is he going to cope with playing against the big guns? We’ve got a tough enough start as it is! We don’t need players like him ruining our title chances before we even start!

Off the pitch, it’s been a very good week. That ‘regulatory process’ that Gervinho had to wait for has passed and he is finally a Gooner. Can’t wait to see him play. Also, it looks like Denilson is on his way back to Brazil. He expressed his sadness at leaving his Arsenal pals behind, meanwhile Arsenal fans, myself included, expressed their joy at him packing his bags.

So overall, a mixed start. We haven’t had the perfect pre-season, but the squad look like they are gelling together quite nicely. They can definitely leave Asia with their heads held high. Next it’s Cologne in Germany, and then the Emirates Cup, the first true test. Bring it on!