Positivity, excitement and optimism. Those are just three of the words associated with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal reign.
However, arguably for the first time since this project really started to motor, a sense of negativity has crept in.
Arteta’s side have enjoyed an interesting summer. The likes of Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres are standout purchases but something is missing, notably on the left.
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With Manchester City and Liverpool strengthening again, spending mega bucks, it really does feel as though the title is far away again.
Still, Arsenal did go to Old Trafford on the Premier League’s opening weekend and win 1-0. It’s not always been a happy hunting ground so Arteta’s men will take the three points and swiftly move on.
Arsenal were resilient and staunch in their efforts to claim the victory but it certainly wasn’t all plain sailing, not least for debutant Gyokeres.
What went wrong for Gyokeres on Arsenal debut
After scoring his first goal for the club in their 3-0 pre-season win over Bilbao a week ago, there were high hopes for Gyokeres.
That’s not forgetting the fact he scored 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting last term either.
Gyokeres 2024-25 season in numbers (timeless) (1)
Yet, in Manchester on Sunday, Gyokeres cut a frustrated figure, someone who struggled to get into the game and was let down by his teammates.
The Swede regularly burst into the channels and on a frequent basis wasn’t played the ball.
Those beside him, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, only produced two key passes as the club’s big summer signing was starved of any service.
So, after failing to have a single shot on goal within an hour of his debut, he was withdrawn from the action to loud jeers from the home crowd, with Kai Havertz brought on in his place.
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As Football.London’s Tom Canton noted, the centre forward ‘struggled to get into the game in the first half and was limited in terms of service and touches.'
Gyokeres vs Man Utd
Minutes played
Touches
Accurate passes
Shots
Successful dribbles
Key passes
Ground duels won
Aerial duels won
Offsides
Fouls
Times fouled
Stats via Sofascore.
So room for improvement, but he wasn’t the worst player on the away side.
The Arsenal player who was worse than Gyokeres
Speaking of the forward line, it was a poor day at the office for Arsenal’s wingers.
This is significant because it’s an area of the squad that Andrea Berta and Co have been trying to improve this summer.
Noni Madueke has joined from Chelsea but there’s a cry from supporters to sign someone of the quality of Eberechi Eze or Rodrygo.
Madueke-Arsenal-1
Well, those cries will only have grown louder after Martinelli’s ineffective showing on Sunday afternoon.
The Brazilian was handed a 4/10 rating by the Standard, who wrote that there was a 'familiar issue - no conviction in the final third.'
Last season, that was also very much the case for Martinelli and there has no improvement over pre-season and into the full season.
Martinelli-Arsenal
This is a big worry, particularly if Berta doesn’t sign another winger between now and the deadline.
The numbers paint a grim picture of just how poor the 24-year-old was. He managed just one shot - a tame effort right at the goalkeeper.
Furthermore, he only attempted one dribble that ended up being unsuccessful, had one key pass, didn’t make a cross and only completed three passes before he was hooked on the hour.
To make matters worse, Martinelli had just 14 touches, 33 fewer than David Raya. He also won just 50% of his duels.
Raya-Arsenal
In all honesty, there wasn’t much that the wide player got right, with one moment summing up his last few years.
As Arsenal aimed to break through the centre of the pitch, the Brazil international looked to swing a ball out to the left-hand side of the field but dinked it right out of play.
If that’s a sign of things to come, then Arsenal need to sign a replacement instantly. Irrespective of their activity in the window, either Leandro Trossard or Madueke must replace him for the game with Leeds United next weekend.