Arsenal kicked off pre-season in style with an 8-0 victory against non-league Boreham Wood, so let’s take a look at the top five performers from the match.
Our usual player ratings article would be a bit out of place on this occasion, given the match wasn’t particularly competitive, and none of the players played more than 45 minutes.
However, we can still have a look at the Arsenal stars who caught the eye ahead of the upcoming pre-season tour.
1Five to three
5. Konstantinos Mavropanos
With new signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos starting alongside him, Mavropanos actually ended up looking the more composed defender of the two.
The 20-year-old was as strong and no nonsense as ever, and one of his defensive headers travelled the length of the pitch to the final third. His passing was also reliable, and he showed his range with a couple of long balls. Overall, a solid performance.
4. Alexandre Lacazette
Lacazette only scored the one goal as Arsenal ran riot, but he was unfortunate not to add more. He unselfishly squared his first big chance for a teammate in the middle, who couldn’t find the net. Then Aubameyang slightly misplaced an attempt to return the favour for an open goal for the Frenchman.
In the end, Lacazette got his goal on the break, with Aubameyang finding him on the second attempt. The pair continue to form a deadly duo, and now they just need to carry that form into the more competitive matches.
3. Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Maitland-Niles impressed again in the middle, working the ball well and getting back to help cover defensively when necessary. His most impressive moment was undoubtedly his assist for Aubameyang’s second goal though, racing past two or three players before chipping a cross into the back post for the Gabon international.
With a new long-term deal under his belt at Arsenal, there’s hopefully plenty more to come this year from the youngster.
Click ‘Next’ for our top two performers