Among the many things Arsenal were accused of not being last season was that they needed to be more aggressive and ruthless to show the fight in them, especially towards the end of the season. Next season, if there’s one thing Gooners expect their team to be, it’s that they will be aggressive.
Fortunately, there’s every indication they will be that. After clashing with Arsenal in a pre-season match that his Barcelona side lost 5-3, Xavi admitted that the Arsenal he faced surprised him. The Spaniard felt the intensity the Gunners played in that game wasn’t normal; it made him feel like he was facing a Champions League side.
“I said to Mikel at the end of the game that it felt like a Champions League game because the intensity that they put was not normal for a friendly game,” said Xavi after the friendly loss to Arsenal.
“Our intensity didn’t surprise me; their intensity did.
“It’s not normal for a friendly game to be so intense or to have so many injuries or yellow cards and all that.
“They were at a very high level of intensity and rhythm that we weren’t expecting. The second half of the game meant we had a lot of things that worked well.
Although they grew into the game, Barca struggled in the earlier stages to cope with the game’s tempo, and they made lots of mistakes defensively and in possession.
If Arteta and the boys can sustain such ruthlessness in games next season, tell me why they won’t be the most challenging and most feared side in the League?
No quarter to be given!
COYG!
Sam P
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