FPL pre-season: Arsenal v Man Utd analysis, £4.0m Burnley defenders start

Our pre-season friendly round-ups continue, covering an all-Premier League clash that took place in the USA late last night.

Manchester United’s victory over Arsenal in New Jersey is the chief focus but we also scrutinise Burnley’s defeat to Genk.

Analysis of Chelsea’s 4-3 win over Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City’s opening pre-season friendly will follow.

• READ MORE: FPL pre-season round-up – Saturday 22 July, part one: Young ‘out of position’ on Everton debut

ARSENAL 0-2 MANCHESTER UNITED

• Goals: Fernandes, Sancho
• Assists: Mainoo x2

Watch match highlights here

A strong Arsenal XI slipped to a 2-0 defeat in New Jersey, with Aaron Ramsdale (£5.0m) and Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.0m) culpable for Manchester United’s goals.

Ramsdale let a speculative Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) effort slip through his fingers before Gabriel’s air-kick allowed Jadon Sancho (£7.0m) to race clear and score.

United had 11 internationals, including Marcus Rashford (£9.0m) and Fernandes, all getting their first pre-season action. Again, no outfielder lasted more than 45 minutes as Erik ten Hag divided the workload.

While attacking returns and results aren’t the be-all and end-all at this stage, tactical trends are worth paying attention to.

Fernandes, for example, again started in a more advanced role than Mason Mount (£7.0m) – although there were still instances when the former dropped deep and the latter sauntered forward.

Sancho, by necessity due to a lack of striking options, was the nominal centre-forward once more.

But Aaron Wan-Bissaka‘s (£4.5m) tweaked role was the stand-out feature. The oft-maligned defender got forward plenty, with promising rookie midfielder Kobbie Mainoo (£4.5m) dropping into the backline to cover.

Wan-Bissaka created two chances in his 45-minute showing, a total that none of his team-mates could better.

Above: Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw’s (£5.5m) touch heatmaps in the Arsenal game, via Sofascore. Shaw didn’t create a chance or have a shot but was still permitted to overlap on occasion.

New signing Andre Onana (£5.0m) didn’t feature but was present in the MetLife Stadium.

FIRST STARTS FOR RICE, HAVERTZ AND TIMBER

There were first starts for Arsenal’s trio of big-money signings in Arteta’s strongest XI of the summer so far.

Jurrien Timber (£5.0m) was just about the pick of them in an ‘inverted right-back’ role. Ben White (£5.5m) probably has enough credit in the tank from an excellent 2022/23 to ward off the Dutchman’s challenge for now but Timber at least gives his manager an alternative option at full-back, particularly when the inverting Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.0m) is absent on the opposite flank.

“With Jurrien, we are really pleased with his performance and the things we asked him to do. Obviously he is adapting really quickly to the team, and you could see the confidence, the determination that he plays with.” – Mikel Arteta

As for Declan Rice (£5.5m) and Kai Havertz (£7.5m), it wasn’t great. Granit Xhaka and Zinchenko were arguably missed, with Rice left exposed by Havertz and stand-in left-back Takehiro Tomiyasu (£4.5m). Both summer acquisitions will have better platforms to shine from with Zinchenko back fit and providing additional cover in midfield.

“When they play 55 times together, they will be better. It will flow better, they will understand each other better, and will be more dominant and better. But it takes time to glide and we have to respect that.

“I saw a lot of positive things, and things I like much more than the game we won the other day against the MLS even though the result is very different.” – Mikel Arteta on Messrs Havertz, Rice and Odegaard

Bukayo Saka (£8.5m) was the arguably the pick of the usual suspects in a lively showing down the right flank. Martin Odegaard (£8.5m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£8.0m) were quieter but fleetingly showed what they are about: the former carving out two decent opportunities for team-mates, the latter the bigger goal threat and spurning an excellent double chance.

Eddie Nketiah (£5.5m) wouldn’t have caused Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) any nightmares on a rare chance to impress, however.

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; Timber (White 58), Saliba (Jorginho 72), Gabriel, Tomiyasu (Tierney 46); Odegaard, Rice (Partey 58), Havertz (Vieira 72); Saka (Trossard 72), Nketiah (Smith-Rowe 72), Martinelli (Jesus 58).

Manchester United XI: Heaton; Wan-Bissaka (Dalot 46), Varane (Lindelof 46), Martinez (Maguire 46), Shaw (Williams 46); Mainoo (Casemiro 46), Mount (Eriksen 46); Antony (Amad 46, Pellistri 59), Fernandes (McTominay 46) Garnacho (Rashford 46); Sancho (Forson 46). 

GENK 2-0 BURNLEY

James Trafford (£4.5m) made his Burnley debut as the Clarets fell to a 2-0 defeat in Belgium.

Kompany wasted no time in blooding his new goalkeeper, who was signed just 48 hours earlier, even with Ari Muric (£4.5m) among the travelling party. Muric was last year’s number one, helping the Clarets towards a league-best 21 clean sheets.

But Trafford was partly at fault for Genk’s opener, failing to collect a cross that resulted in the hosts’ eighth-minute goal. The England under-21 international steadied himself after that, however, earning praise for his distribution – an attribute the Burnley boss values.

£4.0M DEFENDERS START

A trio of £4.0m defenders started at the back, with Ameen Al-Dakhil (£4.0m) interestingly getting the nod over Hjalmar Ekdal (£4.0m) and Dara O’Shea (£4.0m) at centre-half. Jordan Beyer (£4.0m) still looks the most nailed budget route into the Clarets’ defence.

Burnley will surely add another left-back after loanee Ian Maatsen returned to Chelsea, with Charlie Taylor (£4.0m) on borrowed time. Taylor was seldom used in that position in the promotion-winning campaign, instead deputising at centre-half.

Anass Zaroury (£5.0m), the only nailed-looking starter in Saturday’s front four, received plaudits for his display off the left wing.

New signing Zeki Amdouni (£5.5m) had little time to impress off the bench, while there were also substitute appearances from a certain Wout Weghorst (£5.5m) and ‘trialist’ Andros Townsend.

Burnley XI: Trafford, Roberts, Al-Dakhil, Beyer, Taylor, Cullen, Brownhill, Vitinho (Trialist 60), Twine (Amdouni 76), Zaroury, Foster (Weghorst 79)