Arsenal hit Lyon for six in the Emirates Cup, with Mesut Ozil the star of the show. Wayne Rooney helps United get the better of Champions League holders Barcelona, while Chelsea revive Victor Moses to help them win out on penalties against Paris Saint-Germain. Elsewhere, Andre Ayew opens his Swansea account, whilst Bojan returns from long-term injury as Stoke taste defeat at Brentford. Here are the notes from Saturday’s batch of pre-season friendlies…
Arsenal 6 Lyon 0
The Gunners steamrollered Lyon in their Emirates Cup opener, racking up four goals in a frenetic nine-minute stretch. Mesut Ozil teed up Olivier Giroud from a free-kick to start the scoring, before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain calmly finished on the counter-attack. Arsenal U21 star Alex Iwobi then bagged the host’s third, with Aaron Ramsey collecting another Ozil pass to cap off an electrifying 45 minutes. Ozil added that extra shine to an already lustrous display with Arsenal’s fifth of the night, running onto a Giroud dink, before substitute Santi Cazorla rounded off the goal spree with a low free-kick.
Arsenal set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation for this clash, with Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil and Iwobi forming a potent trio behind Giroud. Damien Martinez got the nod between the sticks, while Mathieu Debuchy, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Kieran Gibbs held the fort at the back, with Francis Coquelin and Aaron Ramsey shielding them from the double pivot. Jack Wilshere missed out with illness but is expected to feature against Wolfsburg today along with Petr Cech.
Asked to assess the balance of his side, Arsene Wenger gave the impression that he’s content with the squad and won’t be recruiting many players this transfer window:
“On one side the questions in the press is, ‘How do you keep everybody happy?’, and on the other hand, one minute later they ask me, ‘Why don’t you buy any more players?’. So, if I cannot keep the ones I already have happy why should I buy more? I think our squad is well balanced quality wise and numbers wise because of the number of games we have we need everybody. Because it is a competition it is part of our job.”
The Gunners boss also waxed lyrical over Ozil’s display and backed the German to make a significant impact on the campaign ahead:
“Could this be his best season? Yes. He had a difficult start but slowly he has won over our fans. He missed the whole first part of the season last year and came back to his best level in the second part of the season – hopefully he can deliver a whole season now.”
Manchester United 3 Barcelona 1
Louis van Gaal’s side earned a morale-boosting victory over European champions Barcelona, with Wayne Rooney leading the charge. The United skipper headed home from an Ashley Young corner to open the scoring, seemingly pushing Adriano aside to find space. Jesse Lingard doubled the Red Devils’ advantage with a rifled shot, before Adnan Januzaj put the game to bed with a composed finish inside the box.
The United boss rolled out a 4-2-3-1 set-up, with a back four of Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones, Daley Blind (centre-back) and Luke Shaw – the same defence that has started all three tour matches. In the absence of Bastian Schweinsteiger – who missed out with a “little injury” – Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick filled the defensive midfield roles, while Memphis Depay (number ten), Juan Mata (right wing) and Young (left wing) established the trident behind Wayne Rooney.
Amid reports that Angel Di Maria is poised for a move to Paris Saint-Germian, Louis van Gaal revealed that the Argentine forward and Marcos Rojo missed his flight out to the United States:
“I have heard he was not on the plane. Marcos Rojo also did not get on the plane. He had a passport issue but with Di Maria I don’t know why.”
Van Gaal took time out to praise the Rooney-Depay partnership in the final third, though also talked up Januzaj’s display:
“Yes I think they try to do their utmost best to look for each other and sometimes I think too much. It should be better when we have a wider orientation, but I think they were always a threat and that is very important. I think Barcelona could not cope with the threat of Depay and Rooney, but I have to say that Adnan Januzaj was also a big threat for them in the 30 minutes that he played as a striker. That is good to see. I think that Januzaj was very good because he always gives an option for his midfielders and defenders. He scored a wonderful goal and I think that is always important. He had to fight with two defenders and he did well. But it was more easy for him against the defence without [Gerard] Pique.”
The Dutchman also conceded that he’s uncertain whether he’ll start the season with Schweinsteiger in his first XI:
“That I do not know because he has to prove himself. Every player has to prove himself and also Bastian Schweinsteiger. He shall play against Paris Saint-Germain I expect. Let us hope that he convinces me!”
Paris Saint-Germain 1 Chelsea 1 (Chelsea win 6-5 on penalties)
Perhaps inspired by Joe Hart’s heroics earlier in the week, Thibaut Courtois replicated the feat, saving Thiago Silva’s spot-kick before emphatically converting one of his own. A Victor Moses equaliser in the 65th minute ensured that the tie went to penalties, with the former Stoke loanee collecting a Cesc Fabregas dink and expertly volleying home.
The Blues lined up in their familiar 4-2-3-1 set-up, with their first-choice rearguard (Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, John Terry and Cesar Azpilicueta) and Asmir Begovic shielded by Nemanja Matic and Mikel. Eden Hazard and Moses were assigned to wing duty, while Fabregas dictated play from the “number ten” berth behind Diego Costa.
Mourinho handed some of his South American contingent minutes off the bench in the second period and the Blues boss praised a lively display from loan signing Radamel Falcao:
“That is because he is not so tired as the others because he trained two days and the others 10 days and they are accumulating fatigue. Falcao, Willian and Juan Cuadrado are with the sharpness but without the fatigue so they looked good, and it was good for them to play this 20 minutes and it was good for Falcao from the penalty spot to put the ball into the net.”
Walsall 1 Aston Villa 1
Twenty-year-old forward Callum Robinson converted from close range to earn the Villains a draw at the Bescot Stadium. Debutant Idrissa Gueye lined up alongside Ashley Westwood and Leandro Bacuna in the midfield three, as manager Tim Sherwood switched to a 4-3-3 set-up.
Scott Sinclair and Robinson were deployed on the flanks either side of lone marksman Libor Kozak, with Gabby Agbonlahor missing out with a hamstring problem. Sherwood’s worries in midfield were compounded after Carles Gil (knock) and Gary Gardener (ankle) were ruled out, as the pair joined Jack Grealish on the sidelines. Reports in the local press suggest the latter is expected to step up his recovery from a hamstring problem next week.
Mansfield Town 1 Leicester City 1
David Nugent curled a precise shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards to open his pre-season account. The Foxes lined up in the 3-4-1-2 formation that formed the foundation of their miraculous recovery last term.
Nugent operated “in the hole” behind Andrej Kramaric and Shinji Okazaki, while Jack Barmby, Tom Lawrence, Dean Hammond and Ritchie De Laet patrolled the midfield. Danny Simpson, Liam Moore and youngster Ben Chillwell were the trio of centre-backs playing in front of Mark Schwarzer, who now seems favourite to be back-up for Kasper Schmeichel after Ben Hamer joined Nottingham Forest on loan for the season. Ranieri made ten changes at the 60-minute mark, with Riyad Mahrez taking up Nugent’s berth behind central strikers Leonardo Ulloa and Jamie Vardy.
The Italian boss said that the match served as a useful scouting expedition ahead of Leicester’s home opener against the Black Cats:
“I think it’s important to give all the players the right level of stamina and that I watch everyone. Sunderland is very close and I have to choose a first eleven. I feel good, I feel confident and I know we need to work hard to keep the club in the Premier League, but I’m very confident we can do that.”
It’s also worth noting that Ranieri has admitted Wes Morgan could miss the start of the season due to his recent international commitments for Jamaica. Morgan is likely to be handed a two-week holiday to recharge, with his manager saying:
“My experience says when a player continues to play he is fit but after four or five months he is shattered. I prefer to give him some holiday to rest and recharge the batteries, not just physically but mentally, too. It is important to come back fresh with hunger, because I need him.”
FC Augsburg 1 Norwich City 2
Lewis Grabban and Youssouf Mulumbu inspired the Canaries to a second-half comeback with goals in the 51st and 89th minutes, respectively.
Norwich lined up in a 4-2-3-1 set-up, with John Ruddy between the sticks. Steven Whittaker, Russell Martin, Sebastien Bassong and Harry Toffolo manned with defence, with deep-lying midfielders Mulumbu and Alexander Tettey sitting just in front. Nathan Redmond, Wes Hoolahan and Bradley Johnson formed the trio behind Grabban.
Cameron Jerome sustained a damaged foot in a recent clash with Cambridge so was forced to watch on from the sidelines. Martin Olsson, meanwhile, has returned to light training following shoulder surgery, with manager Alex Neil hopeful the left-back won’t miss too many matches at the start of the campaign:
“I don’t want to put a time-scale on it, in terms of the start of the season, because I don’t think he is going to get any games in between now and then. I don’t think he’ll make the first game (against Crystal Palace), however, it shouldn’t be too long after that.”
Brentford 2 Stoke City 0
Bojan made his long-awaited return to action having undergone knee surgery in February, coming through a 45-minute second-half cameo unscathed. Ryan Shawcross also recovered in time for this clash but didn’t have the best of afternoons, inadvertently diverting Andy Gogia’s long-range strike into his own net.
Mark Hughes deployed his troops in a 4-2-3-1 set-up, with Jack Butland earning his first pre-season minutes. Shawcross and Marc Muniesa partnered up in central defence, while debutant Glen Johnson and Erik Pieters (making his first pre-season appearance) lined up at right-back and left-back, respectively. Steve Sidwell and Geoff Cameron played in a midfield two, with Jonathan Walters, Marco van Ginkel and Peter Odemwingie supporting lone striker Joselu. Marc Wilson (ankle) and Mark Arnautovic (thigh) missed out with minor knocks.
Speaking on Bojan’s return to first-team action, Hughes admitted that the Spanish forward is still some way off being match fit:
“We took him off, which was always the plan. He isn’t quite up to match speed yet. Obviously it’s his first game against opposition other than the physios and the other players in training, but he will get better and stronger from this point onwards.”
Nottingham Forest 1 Swansea City 1
Swansea were all change from their friendly against Reading on Friday evening, with Garry Monk drafting in Lukasz Fabianski, Kyle Naughton, Federico Fernandez, Ashley William and Neil Taylor to defence. Jack Cork and Sung-yeung Ki occupied the engine room in a 4-2-3-1, with Ayew, Matt Grimes (number ten) and Wayne Routledge operating behind lone frontman Eder.
Andre Ayew (a 7.0 midfield option in the FPL) put Fantasy managers on notice with his debut goal for the Swans, besting Matt Mills inside the 18-yard box before placing a low finish under Forest keeper Dorus de Vries. Bafetimbi Gomis didn’t travel with the squad as he continues to nurse a slight hamstring complaint, though manager Garry Monk confirmed the Frenchman will be ready for the start of the season:
“Bafe had some tightness in the week. What do you do – risk it or play him for 20 minutes? No, there’s no point. I don’t want to take a risk and I don’t need to take a risk at this point. Bafe has come back in better shape than before. He has worked very hard in the summer, so I have no problem or worries about him missing the minutes on the pitch today. He will be ready for next week – we definitely expect him to play. He wanted to play here, but I make the decisions and there’s no point in taking that risk. I have been in the situation myself, where sometimes you just need the couple of extra days to make sure you are right and then you go back in for the following week.”
Dundee United 0 Watford 1
Troy Deeney bagged his second goal of pre-season as the Hornets extended their unbeaten streak to five matches. Attacking midfielder Jurado recorded the assist on his debut, delivering an inch-perfect cross for the powerful frontman to nod home.
Quique Sanchez Flores returned to a 4-2-3-1 set-up, fielding Heurelho Gomes in goal and a rearguard comprised of Jose Holebas, Craig Cathcart, Sebastian Prodl and Allan Nyom. Etienne Capoue and Valon Behrami provided a buffer to the back four, while Ikechi Anya, Odion Ighalo and Jurado played behind Deeney.
After the match, Flores talked up new boy Jurado, who was the only Watford player to be handed 90 minutes yesterday:
“He is a top player and someone I know well from my time at Atletico and he played well. I think he is the type of player who will make us play well because he likes the ball, so he will be a lot of use for us.”
The 1-0 win means the Hornets have now registered back-to-back clean sheets and Flores – who is without new defender Miguel Britos for the first two Gameweeks due to suspension – praised his side’s improving stability after a raft of summer signings:
“We won, we got a good result but most importantly we improved in the defensive phase and the offensive phase and we had a good balance, and this is the sensation we are looking for. I think they (the players) are doing well and they’re not making big mistakes, only little mistakes, that we can correct through games and training so I’m really happy.”
Swindon Town 1 West Bromwich Albion 4
James Morrison notched a brace at the County Ground, while Victor Anichebe and Stephane Sessegnon also got their names on the scoresheet with close-ranges strikes.
The Baggies rolled out a 4-4-2 formation, with Boaz Myhill in goal and a back four of Craig Gardener (right-back), Gareth McAuley, Joleon Lescott and Christ Brunt. A four-man midfield of James McClean, Darren Fletcher, James Morrison and Callum McManaman played behind strike duo Saido Berahino and Anichebe.
There are concerns over McAuley’s fitness after the Northern Irish defender limped off with a calf strain. These fears are compounded by the fact that Craig Dawson was sidelined with a thigh injury and Jonas Olsson was afforded the day off – as explained by Tony Pulis:
“Olsson needs a rest because he has worked really hard and looked a little bit tired the last few days so we thought we’d give him a rest today. Dawson has got a little bit of a thigh strain but he will be OK. We are hoping he will be alright if not for next week then he will certainly be OK for the start of the season.”
Charlton Athletic 0 West Ham United 0
Diafra Sakho and Dimitri Payet were the stand-out performers as the Irons were held to a stalemate at The Valley. The duo interchanged with poise and precision throughout the encounter, offering hope that West Ham can offer a stronger attacking presence next term.
The Hammers adopted a 4-2-3-1 set-up, with an inexperienced XI that included James Tomkins and Enner Valencia – who made his first pre-season outing since returning from the Copa America. The Ecuadorian partnered Payet and Martin Samuelsen in the three behind Sakho.
Nantes 0 Bournemouth 0
Matt Ritchie spurned the Cherries’ best chance of breaking the deadlock, slipping when he went to strike a spot-kick in the 87th minute and firing well over the bar.
It was a largely uneventful affair aside from that late drama, with Adam Federici proving to be the more active of the two keepers. The likes of Callum Wilson, Simon Francis, Charlie Daniels, Andrew Surman and Tommy Elphick clocked 90 minutes against the Ligue 1 outfit, with the rest of the first-teamers set to get a run-out against Yeovil Town on Tuesday.
Post-match, Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe offered an update on both Artur Boruc and Harry After who missed Saturday’s clash through injury…
“Artur has had a shoulder problem. I’m hopeful that it’s going to be OK. It’s nothing serious, nothing long-term, so hopefully there are no worries there. Harry is coming along well. He’s been pleased with how he has responded to the injury. He’s running on a treadmill at the moment but not outside, so we are hoping to move him forward quite quickly next week.”
A reminder that all these results, along with Scout Notes on formations and form players, are being captured on our dedicated page right here.
