Arsenal began their pre-season campaign with a 4-1 victory over Girona at Montilivi Stadium, with Max Dowman playing a central role. Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis, Dowman and Gabriel Jesus all scored, though the Gunners again failed to keep a clean sheet.
Arsenal created several promising moves in the opening stages, and one of them produced the first goal. Dowman held off challenges and played Havertz through on goal, with the German taking a single touch before finishing. Summer signing Tzolis then doubled the lead on the half-hour mark, jinking into the box and finding the far corner via a deflection.
Dowman sends Arteta a message
Dowman was practically at the heart of every promising Arsenal move during the opening 45 minutes. His clever turn carved open a huge space in Girona's midfield for the opener, and his pass for Havertz was perfectly measured. He also showed alertness at the other end by cutting out a pass in the defensive third as Girona threatened, and he went on a weaving run just before the interval before being surrounded by defenders and seeing penalty appeals waved away.
The second half began less smoothly for the 16-year-old. After collecting the ball in the final third, he chose to drive forward with Viktor Gyokeres completely unmarked on the far side, then lost possession, prompting the Swede to berate him for not passing. Dowman responded by scoring himself, firing a powerful left-footed strike into the net from 20 yards after a pinpoint forward ball from Myles Lewis-Skelly. He immediately returned to defensive work with a vital interception, though moments later he needed rescuing by Kepa Arrizabalaga after a misdirected back pass. He was substituted on the hour mark, with cameras showing him in deep conversation with Arteta. Dowman remains a work in progress, but his talent was clear throughout and he looks destined for a breakthrough campaign at Emirates Stadium.
Tzolis and Calafiori click
With the squad depth available, Arteta can pair specific players together to build new partnerships. Based on the opening 45 minutes in Spain, Christos Tzolis and Riccardo Calafiori appear likely to combine regularly. Calafiori operates as an unconventional full-back, often drifting into central positions, and that proved crucial for Arsenal's second goal. He surged into Girona's half after a crisp forward ball from Nwaneri, found Tzolis near the touchline, and kept his forward momentum to draw defenders away. That created space for the Greek international to drift infield and curl an effort towards the far post, with a deflection taking it into the net.
Defensive concerns linger
Arsenal did not show themselves in the best light defensively in Girona, with Illan Meslier forced into a number of saves. Some of those came after wholesale changes, but even at full strength the Gunners did not look particularly solid. Ben White was caught off guard early, left trailing Girona attackers, and there were several careless passes within Arsenal's own defensive unit. What likely frustrated Arteta most was conceding from a corner, with Arnau Martinez rising completely unchallenged to head home.
Calafiori was arguably the only regular starter fielded from kick-off, and Arteta's preferred back four is unlikely to be used early in the campaign. William Saliba is nursing a back problem, Jurrien Timber appears set to be handled carefully, and Gabriel Magalhaes will probably be monitored given the number of minutes he has played in recent years. Recruiting a defender is not the main concern, but it is clear why there have been links to various centre-backs.
Early substitutions explained
It was somewhat unexpected to see Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie withdrawn after the initial drinks break around the 30-minute mark. Yet it makes sense, as all three reached the World Cup last-32 and consequently had delayed arrivals for pre-season. Gabriel Martinelli and Magalhaes were knocked out in the subsequent round and, judging by this game, will probably be gradually reintroduced.
Arteta has previously attracted criticism for overusing players like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, but he appears to be exercising additional caution now, particularly after several key players battled fitness problems during the latter stages of the campaign.
Guimaraes transfer takes on extra urgency
Despite the impressive attacking display, the need to finalise a deal for Bruno Guimaraes swiftly was apparent before the pre-season encounter even began. Arteta selected a strong starting XI, but on paper the midfield balance was not ideal. Myles Lewis-Skelly, Havertz and Nwaneri are all gifted players, yet the midfield setup exposed Arsenal at times.
Arteta does not have many alternatives, with Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino all still on holiday following the World Cup. Brazilian pair Martinelli and Gabriel have returned, meaning Guimaraes' mandatory rest period is also set to conclude. It appears he will be joining Arsenal's training camp rather than Newcastle's, with an £80m transfer agreement in place.
Arteta needs the deal completed quickly because Guimaraes will be required for the season's opening fixtures and needs plenty of training sessions with his new teammates. With Christian Norgaard, who was among the substitutes in Girona, poised to join Everton, the Guimaraes transfer can be finalised. The Community Shield clash against Manchester City takes place in just over a fortnight, and Guimaraes ideally needs to start, with Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and Elliot Anderson posing a greater challenge than Girona.
