Arsenal need to find their rhythm before huge clash with Chelsea next month

Arsenal need to find their rhythm before huge clash with Chelsea next month

Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Australia and the Far East ending negatively on Saturday with a 3-0 defeat to Premier League champions Chelsea, in a match where the Gunners seemed off the pace and out of rhythm- a similar scenario to how they looked days before against Bayern Munich.

Arsene Wenger’s side managed to beat Bayern on penalties, giving them three wins from four matches on tour, but it’s clear the side still needs to kick in key areas- particularly in attack, where Mesut Ozil and new signing Alexandre Lacazette need to build a partnership.


Club-record arrival Lacazette and former Real Madrid man Ozil could be the partnership that propels Arsenal to glory next season but they need to gel quickly, having barely played together so far and failing to link up decisively in the match against Chelsea.

Experience playing together should build that relationship slowly, and Arsenal will have their eyes on the Emirates Cup next weekend as a chance for their star-duo to find their rhythm, but the Gunners also need to improve in other areas.

Young options on tour showed Arsenal have some defensive depth but, in reality, the Gunners options were lacking- as Rob Holding, Gabriel Paulista, Calum Chambers, Hector Bellerin and Shkodran Mustafi all stayed behind due to their pre-season involvement.

It’s clear that Mohamed Elneny at centre-back is very much a last resort for Arsenal and Wenger needs to use the remainder of the Gunners’ pre-season campaign to get the first-team up to speed, ahead of the Community Shield clash with Chelsea at Wembley.

Due to the absent players’ extended break though, many of them may not make a return for the Emirates Cup next weekend and that means their only pre-season action before the new season will come against the Blues- which is a big concern.

Arsenal need their side to be ready for the new season and the fact that first-team players like Alexis Sanchez, Holding, Mustafi and Bellerin will be playing catch-up in their fitness is a big concern and raises fans’ demands for more signings to be made.

Should Alexis leave, Arsenal definitely need to land a top-class replacement like Thomas Lemar or Riyad Mahrez but the Gunners could also benefit from more options in central-defence, whilst finding a long-term successor to currently crocked star Santi Cazorla should remain a priority.

Whether Arsenal will make further moves in the transfer market remains to be seen but it’s clear there’s a lot of work for the Gunners to do before they kick-off the new Premier League campaign on Friday 11th August against Leicester City.