The Pessimistic Perspective
Following the 5-1 routing of PSG, Thomas Tuchel was an unpopular person with most Arsenal fans. In the post game interviews Tuchel stated that teams which had players on international duty at the World Cup were at a significant disadvantage as their players did not return to their perspective teams until late in the preseason. He was of course unpopular for raining on Arsenal’s parade as Emery trounced his formed club, but unpopular or not his comments had merit. Few if any of the starting 11 for PSG will be in Tuchel’s first team come the start of the season, whereas Arsenal had most of their first team players back and available. And so ultimately we cannot take too much from this match.
Even for teams that have the majority of their players for the preseason, it is unusual to see starting lineups that reflect the regular first team. Frequent substitutions are common and players certainly do not develop the consistency of playing with consistent teammates the way they do in the regular season.
The Optimistic View
We won all our games, bar a shoot out loss to Atletico Madrid. And our new manager was able to pummel his former employers. Not bad!
The importance of the preseason cannot be underrated. In the Premier League every single point counts and one has to start the season flying from game 1. We will face Manchester City on August 12 and will need to be playing full throttle from the first whistle. And if the preseason is any gauge, Auba and Lacazette are firing on all cylinders!
The preseason is a time for new players and staff to familiarize themselves with each other, new philosophies and new tactics. It is vitally important in the preparation for the upcoming season. It is a stage for young players to state their claim for first team opportunities come the regular season. As every single point is important in the Premier League, once the regular season starts there are few opportunities to gamble playing less experienced players. Even with impressive preseason performances these young players are often limited to cup ties and opportunities when the first team players end up on the injured list, yet still it is the preseason where they can show their Arsenal!
The Reality
The idiom ‘Taken with a grain of salt’, sums up what can be determined from the preseason. Essentially the preseason results should be viewed with skepticism, but really the results are not what is important here. Certainly a string of losses in the preseason would be concerning and could hurt team confidence and moral, but favourable results should be taken with that pinch of salt. Embed from Getty Images
Unai Emery’s true test lies only a week away, yet the optimism around the club is undeniable. Hopefully a Premier League debut win for the new manager will lead the way on to a successful season!
2 thoughts to “Pre-season 2018/19 – What can we glean?”
Looking forward to the season!
Thanks Ed!
Were you able to watch the community shield today? From what I saw I think Man City will be beatable this year. Maybe even next weekend!
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