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GOAL
Kai Havertz & Gabriel Jesus silence the doubters! Winners & losers as Arsenal forwards prove they can lead the line in demolition of Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen
There have been questions over Arsenal’s ability to score enough goals, but the Gunners completely outclassed Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen as they ran out 4-1 winners in a pre-season friendly at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Mikel Arteta’s team were in fine form from beginning as they came up against a German side that looked far off the level Xabi Alonso will expect of them after such a stunning 2023-24 campaign.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz were among the goals for the north London side but there were plenty more strong displays from those in the famous red jersey in their penultimate friendly before the beginning of the Premier League campaign.
Zinchenko fired the Gunners into the lead just eight minutes into the clash when an excellent move ended in Havertz being released down the left wing. He had an abundance of space to work with and cut the ball back into the box, where Martin Odegaard pulled off a dummy to let it roll to Zinchenko and he blasted it into the bottom corner.
It took just one minute for the home team to double that lead and it was more tidy work with the ball that created it. A mistake from Leverkusen and Arsenal’s high pressing saw Trossard win possession and spark a neat passing move, ending with the Belgian being in the perfect place to slot home from inside the box – Havertz again getting the assist.
Things quietened down for a period from then but Arsenal remained on top of their German opponents and managed to grab a third after 38 minutes. Leverkusen threw away possession high up the field and Jesus took the ball and charged down the left side before cutting in and going on to fire beyond Matej Kovar.
Arteta made some important changes to the team as he sent them out for the second-half, allowing Bukayo Saka to get in on the fun. The Englishman was in a good mood as he burst past a Leverkusen defender and sent a dangerous ball into the middle of the box, seeing it bounce off of Aleix Garcia and fall perfectly for Havertz to get the goal he deserved against his former team.
Arsenal’s many changes in the second half gave Leverkusen some more freedom as they managed to pull a goal back later on, but the damage was done by then and Arteta will feel there were far more positives than negatives.
GOALÂ breaks down the winners & losers from Emirates Stadium…
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WINNER: Kai Havertz
The Germany international was massively influential in Arsenal’s attacks from the beginning as he came up against the team that propelled him to the Premier League. He worked wonders getting the ball into the middle for Zinchenko to lash home and his neat pass gave the Gunners loads of breathing room by setting up Trossard immediately afterwards. His strong positioning was on display in the second half when he got into the perfect spot to knock in a thoroughly deserved goal to make it 4-0 after 66 minutes.
In typical Havertz fashion, he was not simply rooted to one area of the field. He was useful in dropping back and creating havoc to help his team win the ball and ease the pressure on the rest of the team.
He finished last season playing in more of a centre-forward role but after orchestrating this victory from midfield, Arteta may restore the Germany international to the No.10 role, which would surely help alleviate the pressure on him to find the back of the net himself.
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Arsenal looked excellent throughout the first half and, while it was no surprise to see some players taken off at half-time, the prospect of Fabio Vieira re-emerging for the second period was unthinkable after his 45-minute display.
He was the only player on the home team that completely flopped against their German opponents; his passes were woeful and he never looked good on the ball despite his many touches and ended up being replaced by Saka at the break.
The 24-year-old managed just 11 Premier League appearances – only two as a starter – last season but he clearly needs to improve a great deal if he is to make an impression in north London this season. Arteta was obviously not impressed and decided against letting him continue despite his team’s comfortable advantage.
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WINNER: Gabriel Jesus
Jesus will feel he really needs to kick on this season if he is to prove he truly deserves a place in an Arsenal team that hopes to end a 20-year wait for a Premier League title at the expense of a winning machine like Manchester City.
He scored only four goals from his 27 appearances in the league last season and many believe that the Gunners need to upgrade on the Brazilian attacker if they are to go the extra mile and win a major trophy.
However, Jesus has put in some quality displays in pre-season, earning significant praise from his manager, and this was another endearing performance. He put in a lot of work all over the pitch even when he was not acting as a direct threat on goal, but he got his reward late in the first period when his long, excellent run ended in him lashing into the net to further remind his critics that he has a great deal to offer.
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LOSER: Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz was rather spectacular at times yet again last season, scoring 11 goals and setting up just as many to send Leverkusen on their way to the Bundesliga title. He followed that up with some strong performances at Euro 2024, scoring against Scotland and Spain as hosts Germany crashed out at the quarter-final stage.
However, the creative and decisive No.10 that fans are used to seeing was nowhere to be found at Emirates Stadium. For one thing, he was caught looking apathetic when the ball came to him and immediately lost it, allowing the Gunners to go on and score their second goal. He was unable to shake off that rustiness later on as he was rather useless on the ball and needlessly gave it away later on in the game.
At 21, he is expected to keep blossoming and has been tipped to reach the top level, but Alonso will have to whip him into shape if he is to have another integral role when their campaign to defend the Bundesliga title gets underway.
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WINNER: Mikel Arteta
A match against a Bayer Leverkusen team that lost just one game in the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign was not expected to be a walk in the park for the English team.
It turned out to be a stroll for Arteta’s men, though, as their high pressing, tidy passing and strong defensive set-up kept their German counterparts silent and allowed the dominant Premier League runners-up to wipe the floor with them.
He will be delighted to see the big names put in such excellent displays, but his changes also allowed Arsenal to mix up their playing style and still overpower their opponents. By the end, Arsenal had a youthful XI on the field and still looked strong, despite conceding a goal later on, which the Spanish coach will take as a huge positive heading into the new season.
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LOSER: Xabi Alonso
After a stunning 2023-24 campaign that saw him become the most coveted coach in Europe and saw him overlook the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid to continue his work in Germany, a lot of eyes will be on Alonso over the next year.
His team’s thrilling style and his tactical nous helped engineer their Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal successes and fire them to the Europa League final. Football fans will be eager to see how he improves this team even further in the 2024-25 campaign, but their visit to north London did little to lift the excitement around them.
His team were second best throughout this game as they struggled to deal with Arsenal’s pressure, muscle and pace. They made plenty of mistakes to give the home team possession in vital areas and even key players were giving away golden opportunities.
Alonso and Leverkusen will have to up their game significantly if they are to build on the excitement that they generated last season.