The Gunners show no signs of a hangover from last season in comprehensive win over Bayer Leverkusen
EMIRATES STADIUM — Arsenal stepped up their Premier League preparations by thrashing the Bundesliga’s Invincibles Bayer Leverkusen in their penultimate pre-season friendly.
Oleksandr Zinchenko fired the Gunners in front after eight minutes, Leandro Trossard doubled their lead within 60 seconds from close range and Gabriel Jesus made it three by half-time with a fine individual effort.
Kai Havertz got in on the act in the second half before Leverkusen scored a consolation through Adam Hlozek.
Here’s what we learned:
Calafiori welcome delayed
There is a buzz in the red half of north London over the club’s new £42m defender Riccardo Calafiori.
Scarves with the Italian defender’s chiselled cheekbones stitched on them were on sale outside the Emirates and plenty of fans wore new replica shirts with his name and number 33 printed on the back.
They will have to wait a little longer to welcome him to north London, though, after he missed out on the matchday squad. According to Mikel Arteta, he is not yet synced up with his new teammates.
“He’s come into a new environment, different methodology, different training and we are managing it slowly to get him in the best possible way,” said Arteta. “He will be available to play on Sunday [against Lyon].”
Nevertheless, his lack of pre-season minutes raise serious doubts over his readiness to start against Wolves in Arsenal’s curtain-raiser on 17 August.
Jesus dampens striker talk
Speaking in LA last week, Arteta claimed that Jesus has rediscovered his “spark” after a difficult 18 months in which the Brazilian’s form and fitness have often deserted him.
Whether Jesus is clinical enough to fire Arsenal to the title is debatable, but he is an asset when confident and healthy. The crowd appreciated his efforts to close down defenders and rose as one to salute him after his goal.
A sloppy Leverkusen throw landed at his feet and Jesus kept on running before locating the bottom corner with an accurate finish. It had a pre-season feel to it, as though everything happened at half-pace, but it was a big moment for Jesus that will dampen talk of Arsenal’s need to spend big on a new No 9. For now, at least.
Havertz the handful
Arteta has come closer than most to solving the Kai Havertz enigma. The German produced nine goals and six assists in his final 14 league games of last season and looks to be carrying that confidence into his second year at Arsenal.
He played in two different positions and excelled in both. Havertz set up Arsenal’s first two goals from central midfield, finding Zinchenko with a pinpoint cross from the left before playing a cute reverse pass to Trossard to score from close range.
The 25-year-old then scored the fourth as a centre-forward, loitering in the right place at the right time to capitalise on indecision in Leverkusen’s backline.
The kids are alright
Arsenal ended the game with four teenagers on the pitch as Arteta gave his big hitters a breather. Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are the current jewels in the Hale End crown and each caught the eye.
Nwaneri, the Premier League’s youngest-ever player, played a key part in the fourth goal with a driving run, while Lewis-Skelly was dogged off the ball and composed on it at left-back.
“If they continue playing like they are now it doesn’t make a difference if they come from the academy or if we sign them from Argentina or Germany or Italy,” Arteta said. “They are showing the qualities that they have and the personality to play at this level.”
He added: “We’re not going to put any restrictions [on them]. It’s the opposite. If they deserve minutes, they will get minutes.”
Arsenal’s evolution has made it harder for academy graduates to break through, as Emile Smith Rowe’s sale to Fulham shows. Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly will hope to buck the trend.
