Wenger pleased with Arsenal performance – but are you?

Arsenal kicked off their list of pre-season friendlies yesterday against French Ligue 2 team Lens and the Gunners were certainly put through their paces.

It was Arsenal’s first match back since pre-season training began, whilst Lens are just a week away from their opening competitive fixture, so it’s understandable that the French side were more match fit than the Gunners. Arsenal found it extremely tough at times and Lens worked well to both create chances as well as break down Arsenal’s style of play down.

Arsene Wenger spoke about his thoughts on the match after the game and seemed very pleased with the performance that Arsenal put in. Wenger told Arsenal.com: “I’m very pleased because we had a very dynamic game. This team starts their season next week with ambition to come up to Ligue 1 again. It was a big atmosphere and all you can want to have a good preparation for the season. They played quick, sharp, well organised and closed us down and that’s better than having loose friendlies. I’m very pleased with the quality of our workout.”

I think from a fitness perspective Arsenal fans can be pleased with what they saw yesterday. The players were a little off key with aspects of their game such as first touch and finishing in the final third, but the Gunners seemed physically strong and didn’t slow down in the second half. Towards the end of the match it was Arsenal who were pressing on, whilst Lens looked tired from all their efforts of keeping Arsenal at bay. From a technicality point of view, the players were a bit rusty in their ability and it’s key that they all get a good pre-season going into the first fixture of the upcoming campaign. However it’s important to remember that pre-season games are more about gaining fitness rather than results.

Of course a lot of first team stars were missing from the game, whilst only the first crop of players that went to Euro 2016 have only just returned to light training. From those that did put a shift in, players who I was particularly impressed with are; Debuchy, Zelalem and Reine Adelaide. Walcott for me had another poorly average game, as did Chuba Akpom, whilst the Ox’s goal did show what he’s capable of.
I think overall even though Arsenal didn’t get the result yesterday, winning isn’t everything in pre-season and I think that we can be relatively pleased with how the majority of players are going to be working on their fitness going into the new campaign.

By AH

19 Comments

  1. Even though it was only a friendly, theres no excuse for failing to beat a second tier french team, even with half of our first team regulars missing. Real winners even want to win their practice matches in training.

    Anyways, Wenger only slates the players when they lose, with weak and nieve being his favorite words in those circumstances. ?

    OT:
    Adidas were selling number 7 shirt’s with Mahrez’s name on the back, on their website… Which they took down later.
    They also done the same with Mkhitaryan, aweek before he moved to Utd.

    1. Really not confident that we’ll sign Mahrez. We should do, but unless ‘Sky sources’ or Mr Ornstein say it’s happening, I don’t believe a word of it. Sky have him at 5/6 to join us and 2/1 to stay at Leicester though.

    2. Hahaha………..fatboy…..so i was gonna ask, is Adidas the new sponsor of Arsenal fc?

      *winks*

        1. Oooops ? and Double baulk ? ? Mybad, sorry mate!
          I forgot the most important part. … that was a Chelsea shirt that had Mahrez’s name on the back of it on Adidas’s website.

          1. And Probably a photoshop as this news and photo was reported by a chav on Twitter. ??

  2. I wasn’t really ‘impressed’ with drawing to a Ligue 2 side. Can’t criticise players who aren’t match fit get, but I would’ve hoped for a bit more spark from our youth players.

    Realistically, fit or not we should be beating a Ligue 2 side. But yes, it’s pre season so I’ll let it slide.

  3. Seeing Arsenal play after a long break pleased me. For the performance, it’s just pre-season. It meant nothing. But one thing for sure, Walcott really is an overpaid footballer.

  4. Wenger doing us the way he likes! Admin doing me the way he likes too!why is my comment not showing? Admin why?

  5. with such unserious Attitude in the transfer window as well as the instability and incompetence in the team, I’ve forgotten how to feel pleased……sorry!

    Until i see massive changes…

  6. We won all our preseason games last year and scored lots of goals, didn’t help us with the start of the season though, moral is it means nothing.

  7. @ nygunner it seems we’re the only ones who want chicarito, we might actually get him because so far their haven’t been any links, and we all know how arsenal likes to keep transfers private. Please make this happen arsene and I won’t moan as much.

    1. “Oh to be a Moaner” ? that should be our new Moto! while Wenger is still in charge.

      There was news of a supposedly- secret Arsenal team of officials, heading to Germany for our secret ? Striker!
      So maybe “The little pea” could be the man ? or that trip could have been for Count Draxler?.. Aubameyang?… Lewandowski? ? Hahaha ?Anyones guess, really!
      I hear that City are in for Aubameyang, so striker that one of the list ?

  8. If only one day wenger wakes up drunk and opens his checkbook.
    Signs
    mahrez
    lukaku
    vandijik
    ricardo rodriguez
    draxler.

    Now ill say thats 250mil well spent.
    Sell debuchy walcott mertz gibbs sczesny
    wilshere.
    I believe we can get around 78mil for them

  9. I have a feeling that Liverpool are going to wipe the floor with Arsenal in the open game of the season. I think the Board and Mr Wenger are delusional Arsenal have only bought 1 quality player and according to them this is going to make a difference. The Board and Mr Wenger have lead the fans into believing their were interested in top class players when all the time they did not enquire about any of them. They bought a few kids for the future while Arsenal rot in the NOW.

  10. If any one is wiping off the floor trust me when I say Arsenal will wipe Liverpool to the floor You are all down and out before even the season begins we will have carzola elnany coq xsaka in midfield with many more to arrive ramsey elixes geroud ozil campbel and many more trust me Arsenal are strong and they will put a good fight for sure

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