What you missed in Girona 1-4 Arsenal as Max Dowman fires clear message to Mikel Arteta

Max Dowman was the star of the show in Arsenal’s pre-season triumph over Girona with Mikel Arteta set for a big decision on the academy talent

Arsenal produced an impressive attacking display to beat Girona 4-1 in their first official pre-season friendly. Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis, Max Dowman and Gabriel Jesus were on target with it turning out to be a good evening for Mikel Arteta’s side, minus no clean sheet.

The Gunners put together some great moves early on with one of those resulting in the first goal as Dowman held off challenges and played Havertz through on goal and he duly finished the chance. Summer signing Tzolis doubled their lead on the half hour mark as he jinked into the box and picked out the far corner via a deflection.

Girona did half the deficit just after the interval with Arnau Martinez free in the penalty area and able to head home a corner. The Spanish side were only back in the game momentarily however as Dowman got on the score sheet with a powerful left-footed strike from distance.

Substitute Gabriel Jesus then added a fourth after some great pressing from Ben White forced an error and allowed him to poke past Paulo Gazzaniga. Wholesale changes were made after that with several young stars coming on to see out the victory, though new arrival Illan Meslier was required to make some good saves

Here, the Daily Star examines the key talking points from the win

Dowman’s near-perfect performance

Max Dowman was practically at the heart of every promising Arsenal move during the opening 45 minutes.

It was his clever turn that carved open a massive space in Girona’s midfield for the opener, with his delivery perfectly measured for Havertz as the German took a single touch before slotting home.

Halfway through the first period, he demonstrated his alertness at the opposite end by cutting out a pass within the defensive third as Girona posed a threat. He also embarked on a weaving run just the interval only to tumble to the ground after being surrounded by Girona defenders in the box, though the referee waved away penalty claims.

The second half didn’t begin ideally for Dowman as a questionable choice was made when he collected the ball in the final third.

Viktor Gyokeres was completely unmarked on the far side of the field and the opportunity was there to play him in, but he chose to drive forward before surrendering possession, prompting the Swede to berate him for failing to pass.

Dowman subsequently found the net himself as he fired an effort into the back of the goal from 20 yards following another pinpoint forward ball by Myles Lewis-Skelly.

The 16 year old was immediately back in defensive duties after that strike and produced a vital interception, though moments later required rescuing by Kepa Arrizabalaga following a misdirected back pass.

He was substituted on the hour mark with cameras showing him in deep conversation with Arteta on the touchline.

While he remains a work in progress, Dowman’s talent was evident throughout and he appears destined for a breakthrough campaign at Emirates Stadium. He certainly sent a strong message to Arteta regarding his playing time going forwards.

Lethal partnership unleashed

Given the extensive squad depth at his disposal, Arteta can opt to pair specific players together to unleash new partnerships. Based on the opening 45 minutes in Spain, anticipate seeing Christos Tzolis and Riccardo Calafiori combining regularly.

The latter operates as an unconventional full-back and frequently drifts into central positions. This proved crucial for Arsenal’s second goal as he surged into Girona’s half following a crisp forward ball from Nwaneri, with Tzolis subsequently found near the touchline.

Calafiori maintained his forward momentum which drew defenders away and created space for the Greek international to drift infield and curl an effort towards the far post, though it took a deflection on its way into the back of the net.

Defensive frailties

Arsenal did not show themselves in the best light defensively in Girona with Meslier forced into a number of saves. It is worth noting those came after a number of changes but even at full strength, the Gunners didn’t look that solid.

Early in the encounter, Ben White was caught off guard and left trailing Girona attackers while there were several careless passes amongst their own defensive unit. What likely frustrated Arteta most was shipping a goal from a corner, with Martinez rising completely unchallenged to nod home.

Riccardo Calafiori is arguably the sole regular starter who was fielded from kick-off, but Arteta’s preferred back four is unlikely to be utilised early in the campaign.

William Saliba is nursing a back problem while Jurrien Timber appears set to be handled with care. Gabriel Magalhaes will also probably be monitored given he has clocked up significant minutes over recent years.

Recruiting a defender isn’t the main concern, but it’s evident why there have been connections to various centre-backs.

Premature changes

It was rather unexpected to witness Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie be withdrawn after the initial drinks break around the 30-minute mark.

Yet it makes complete sense given that trio all progressed to the World Cup last-32 and were consequently delayed arrivals for pre-season. Gabriel Martinelli and Magalhaes were knocked out in the subsequent round and judging by this, will probably be gradually reintroduced.

Arteta has attracted criticism for overusing players like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, but it appears he’s exercising additional caution now, particularly following several crucial players battling fitness problems during the campaign’s latter stages.

Guimaraes signing required

Despite the impressive display, the necessity to finalise a deal for Bruno Guimaraes swiftly was apparent before the pre-season encounter had even commenced. Arteta selected a strong starting XI but, on paper, the midfield balance wasn’t ideal.

Lewis-Skelly, Havertz and Nwaneri are all gifted players in their own right, yet the midfield setup did expose Arsenal at times.

Arteta doesn’t have many alternatives, though, with Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino all still enjoying their holidays following the World Cup.

Brazilian pair Martinelli and Gabriel have returned, which means Bruno Guimaraes’ mandatory rest period is also set to conclude. Nevertheless, it appears he’ll be joining Arsenal’s training camp rather than Newcastle’s, with an £80m transfer agreement in place.

Arteta required this deal to be completed swiftly – purely because Guimaraes will be needed for the season’s opening fixtures and to get plenty of training sessions with Arteta and his new teammates.

Given that Christian Norgaard, who was amongst the substitutes in Girona, is poised to join Everton, the Guimaraes to Arsenal transfer can be finalised.

The Community Shield clash against Manchester City occurs in just over a fortnight, and Guimaraes ideally needs to be in the starting lineup as the likes of Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and Elliot Anderson pose a greater challenge than Girona.