Pre-Season 2015/16

Hoping Crowley comes on for Jack

Martinez has had a successful 45 mins standing around having nothing to do so he's been replaced by Szczesny who will hope to stand around a bit better.

No other changes by the looks of things.

Good link-up from Ox and Iwobi sees Iwobi played in, but he loses his balance and can't get over the ball.

Slightly stop-start opening to the half as Singapore had an injury problem.

Best move of the game from Arsenal. Wilshere plays Debuchy in behind, he cuts it back for Iwobi at the edge of the box but he blasts it high and wide.

Ox with a chance now on the break, but he overruns it.

GOAL! Jack Wilshere from the penalty spot.

Debuchy gets in behind again and gets in some early penalty-winning practice by making the most out of a slight touch from their left back. Wilshere coolly converts from the spot.

Changes being made soon as well. Dan Crowley, Willock and Zelalem all ready to come on.

Wilshere off for Crowley, Willock on for Ox and Zelalem on for Flamini.

How was Iwobi? Haven't seen much of him but Guardian's live feed seems a tad critical of his finishing.

He blasted a decent chance high and wide a bit earlier. He's had a good game though. Good poise and skill on the ball. Good strength as well. This is his reward for a good end to the U21 campaign last year.

Do you see an immediate future (/breakout) for him this season?

Same for Akpom too, for that matter - maybe some cup games and a loan once we crash out of the league cup

I'd say that Akpom has the better chance of getting some first team games. Iwobi is starting to add some end product to his game at youth level, but Akpom just looks a level above. Both could do with some time on loan, though.

Bellerin and Toral now coming on to complete the chances. Debuchy and Iwobi off.

Seems like Toral will play wide left, with Crowley in the middle and Willock on the right.

Mert, Gabriel, Monreal, Coquelin and Akpom all doing the full 90.

And another penalty won, this time by Toral. Taken out by the keeper.

GOAL! Confidently taken from Chuba Akpom.

15 mins to add a bit more gloss to the scoreline.

Incidentally, eight of the current eleven on the field have played at U18 level for Arsenal.

GOAL! Akpom completes his hat-trick after some excellent work from Hector Bellerin - a nice drag back followed by a pin-point cross.

Don't tell Hans.

Zelalem with some excellent ball retention in that move too.

Akpom is only the second player to score a hat-trick in this tournament. The other one? Jermain Defoe.

I know its preseason and I know its Singapore but


InB4WeMessUpOnSaturdayWhenITuneIn

Full-time. Singapore Select XI 0 - 4 Arsenal.

A good work out for this group of players. Singapore didn't just bend over for us, though they didn't bother us too much. Akpom's hat-trick won't do him any harm, and it was very nice to see so many young players on towards the end.

45 minutes for Szczesny; 90 minutes for Mert, Gabriel and Monreal; around 70 for Debuchy; around 60 for Wilshere, Ox and Flamini and 90 for Coq and Akpom.

Attention turns to the final against Everton now, where we'll see the second group of players. My guess at the starting eleven:

Cech; Bellerin, Chambers, Koscielny, Gibbs; Arteta, Ramsey, Cazorla; Ozil, Walcott, Giroud

And I guess we'll name six subs again, though who those will be is anyone's guess.

GoonerJay29 wrote:... pre-season legend Akpom.

GOAT



nice to see youngsters in action

big season for Chambo this

Akpom was fantastic, Iwobi also stood out. Just needs to work on his end product.

Sanogo's 4 last pre-season come to mind but you have to wonder how he got so many more chances than Akpom has over the past season. He's just outgrown the level he's playing at. A loan or more blooding in the first team are crucial at this point, can't keep him in a small pool.

Toral was slightly awkward on the left, nervy at first with his first touch but grew into the game a bit, won a penalty. He has a year left on his contract but I'm not sure we'll see him in an Arsenal shirt for a competitive game.

Crowley was feisty, like a smaller, right footed Jack Wilshere, was very keen to impress.

Pretty enjoyable to watch, but that might just be because I'm going insane from the boredom of no Arsenal for 6 weeks.

Spoiler:

on the performance…
Overall it was a positive game because we had a good resistance in the first game. We were tested against a very resilient, very dynamic, very mobile and a team with a good collective attitude. We were tested and we had to play with pace. Overall I liked the fact that we kept a good team focus and as well that individually, every player had to dig deep. We suffered a little bit to get a good workout.

on the role Akpom will play this season…
That’s up to him. How much? I don’t know but I just believe that it’s an encouragement to do well and to work even harder. He’s a young player and it can lift his confidence. The confidence in the dressing room that you sense from the other players is important as well and that can help him. Let’s not forget it’s a friendly. He’s a good talent but he has to work and show that in [the big] games.

on if Akpom will be loaned this season…
No. I sent him out on loan last year because I thought he needed that. This pre-season, during the season I plan to keep him with us.

on if Akpom will get a chance…
Yeah, it’s down to performance and attitude. He has that grade to make between being a big talent and after an efficient talent week in, week out. That’s of course the target.

on Wilshere…
He always had appetite Jack, but he was out for a long time. Already in the last two or three games of the season he has found his burst back with acceleration. Like with Alex [Oxlade-Chamberlain] that’s a big part of their game. To be very efficient they need that and that demands physically to be perfect. He’s getting close now.

on where Wilshere will play this season…
For me he can play in all the offensive positions - wide and central. I have so many good creative players. If you ask all of them where they want to play, they will always tell you central. Unfortunately some of them have to go wide as well.

on the Singapore XI…
I was surprised. They were electric in the first half - I don’t know what they had for lunch! They were absolutely electric and they played at a very high pace. Technically they were very good. They couldn’t create much but it was difficult to get the ball off them. In the second half they dropped physically and then the cohesion goes when you change three or four players. They suffered from that as well.

on Wilshere…
He’s like Alex, he was injured last year early in the season and he missed five months. What you want at the top level today demands so much physically that to be [out] is a nightmare for the players. That’s what he needs - continuity. After, we play so many games. We have a big squad but not a massive one and I think the opportunities will be there for everybody.

on changes to the team against Everton…
Today I left nine players out, they will be involved on Saturday. I will rotate a bit because the week after we play two games again. For me at the moment the [objective is] to give competition to the players without overloading them and [for them] to be capable to work hard in training and to work on their fitness. If they play too many games, you cannot work in training.

on if rested players will return on Saturday…
I have not decided yet but you will see them of course. They didn’t play today because they just came back on Friday and I wanted them to have at least one week of preparation before the first game.

on if any Singapore players impressed…
All the team in the first half. Let’s be realistic, they are players who play at their level. For us to be interested in these players is certainly not the case but they played well and you have to say they were very quick.

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150715/wenger-on-akpom-wilshere-and-singapore

FFS. I thought the match was at 8:30pm because it said that on Arsenal.com

but it was the local time




Anyways watched the 8 mins highlights. Iwobi looks decent. Akpom looked quite good. Oxlade I thought was very good. Big big season for him.

So if akpom isn't going on loan. Surely means there isn't a striker coming in?

Giroud, Welbeck and Akpom. Unless Welbeck is a wide option.

Nah would much rather want Akpom to go out on loan.

AW isn't going to tell you that Akpom is earmarked for a loan at the beginning of preseason - it would motivate the player more to know he has a shot at the first team.

Sina wrote:

Alexi Iwobi vs Singapore XI - 15/07/15 :

Technically he looks really good. Good feet and quite skillful. Decent passer too.

A loan beckons for him I think.

RealGunner wrote:

Sina wrote:

Alexi Iwobi vs Singapore XI - 15/07/15 :

Technically he looks really good. Good feet and quite skillful. Decent passer too.

A loan beckons for him I think.

Do you see him as a wide midfielder with his present skillset?

I thought he likes to pass more rather than try and beat his man at least for now.And needs to improve his composure too.Could have had a hat trick himself had be a li'l composed in front of goal.A loan deal will do him mighty good.(Ipswich?)

And assuming that whatever the eavesdropper said was true,it does mean the end of the road for Toral,right?

Just an year left in his contract and if he's gonna be loaned it means we won't see him play for Arsenal.

Also,AW is mighty interested in Dan C,if he wants to loan him.Trying to fast track him into the first team like Jack I guess.