In the last couple of days, the finishing touches to Arsenal’s pre-season have been put in place.
Less than a month from today, we face Nurnberg in Germany.
This season we will begin our pre-season in German. The squad will head to Adidas headquarters in July for a training camp.
Our first stage of pre-season will culminate with the game against Nurnberg – the Adidas headquarters being on the edge of the city.
We then head out to America to take on the MLS All-Starts.
The game will take part in Washington DC, with the MLS team managed by the D.C. United head coach. Some fella called Wayne Rooney.
A certain Lionel Messi might an appearance…
Just two days after we face the MLS All-Stars, we face Manchester United in New Jersey.
It was around this time in 2022/23 that I knew we had a good team.
In our second game in America last season, we beat Chelsea 4-0. We were unplayable on the day with goals from Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka.
Mikel Arteta will be hoping we put out a similar statement of intent against Man U.
The American tour concludes with our first visit (I think) to Stan Kroenke’s SoFI Stadium in Los Angeles.
Expect a 70,000 sell out as we take on Barcelona.
This will only be Barcelona’s 2nd friendly of pre-season against our 4th, so expect us to be a couple of weeks ahead in terms of fitness.
After 7 games in 3 days, we say goodbye to the US and return to London Colney for the last couple of weeks of pre-season.
In our sole friendly in Islington, we take on Monaco in the 2023 Emirates Cup.
It looks like the Emirates Cup will no longer be tournament format, and will just be a one-off game against Monaco. I also can not find evidence of the women’s team participating this year.
Pre-season is rounded off by that glorified friendly – the Community Shield.
We face Manchester City in the traditional English season curtain opener; a repeat of the 2014 fixture when we ran out 3-0 winners.
I never think too much can be read into this fixture. Last season Liverpool demolished City 3-1. The year before Leicester Ciit won it.
A team has not won the Premier League having won the Community Shield since 2018.
Stretching back more than 20 years to 2001, only six teams have won the title after lifting the Community Shield.
I always feel you can not read too much into pre-season.
I have seen teams perform brilliantly, and then not take that form into the regular season. Likewise, sides have looked poor in pre-season but then come the big Premier League kick off have been brilliant.
It is almost always a case of if you perform well, you put a lot of weight into the performances. You perform poor, that it is just pre-season, just the Community Shield.
I want us to get the season off to a winning start. Winning the Community Shield will be the way to do it.
Let us know in the comments if you plan to watch Arsenal abroad this summer…
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 