Arsenal started pre season in fairly underwhelming fashion in Germany, as despite an overwhelming percentage of the possession and chances throughout the game, The Gunners were held to a draw in Nurnberg. However many players impressed as Arsenal prepare to head out to the United States for their official pre-season tour.
Mikel Arteta opted to start with an eleven which wouldn’t look out of place in the Premier League, however things were halted slightly when captain Martin Odegaard picked up a knock ahead of the game, meaning Fabio Vieira replaced the Norwegian in the starting XI. However it is not expected to be a serious issue for the Arsenal skipper. The strong team showed a strong start and were rewarded with an early goal as Bukayo Saka continued on from his hat-trick for England against North Macedonia with a clinical finish into the far bottom corner. The young winger cut inside on his favoured left foot and his powerful, low strike was too much for the Nurnberg goalkeeper.
The first half was played almost entirely in the Nurnberg half with the Germans failing to properly test Aaron Ramsdale. However despite all their possession Mikel Arteta’s side couldn’t find a second goal to add to Saka’s fine effort as the interval was reached with Arsenal in a 0-1 advantage.
Predictably, Arteta made multiple changes at the break, the most notable of which was the first appearance of Kai Havertz in Arsenal colours. The German coming on for the first time since his £65 million move from London rivals Chelsea. Gabriel Jesus and Kieran Tierney were among those who also entered the pitch at the interval. Substitutions were a common theme throughout the second half – as they usually are in these friendlies – with youngsters Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly coming on during the second period. And it was perhaps due to this frequent changes that Arsenal experienced a slight loss of control of the game and eventually conceded an equalizer. Substitute goalkeeper Karl Hein played a risky pass torwards Jorginho and a combination of the Italian and Nurnberg forward Kanji Okunuki saw the ball trail into the Arsenal net as the German side levelled the score in bizarre circumstances.
Ethan Nwaneri came on soon after and the 16 year-old showed a level of maturity, skill and confidence which should be unheard of for someone his age playing at a first team level. The youngster recently signed his Arsenal scholership after the Gunners fought off interest from the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, and it’s clear to see why Nwaneri was wanted by so many top clubs as he showd himslef as one of Arsenal’s most impressivec players during the game.
One of the biggest talking points ahead of the match was the first appearance of Kai Havertz. Arsenal’s latest signing came on at half time. However despite not doing anything wrong, Havertz failed to have a strong impact on the game. However it is sure we’ll see better of him during the upcoming USA tour.
Florian Balogun also returned following a hugely successful loan spell in Ligue 1, and the American striker did look bright at times, however missed two huge chances – including one in the last minute of the game – which the forward really should’ve put away. However like Havertz, the best of Balogun will be seen soon although it remains to be seen whether Arteta will choose to keep Balogun compared to cashing in whilst the striker’s stock is high following his success in France.