Morning all.

Arsenal welcome Lyon to The Emirates today for what is the last pre season fixture. Arsenal old boy Ainsley Maitland-Niles returns too. In an interview on Arsenal.com he was asked about his time at the club.

How difficult was it to leave Arsenal after spending 16 years at the club?

I’m very mature in my mind and I understand how football works. Sometimes it’s time to let go of a club that has been so dear to you and you had so many years with. So it was more of a process of trying to move on, both for my family and myself. Obviously my contract expired anyway, so I had to find something that was concrete and solid and I felt like Lyon was the best fit.

What are your memories of the Emirates Cup? Your first match was a 5-2 win over Benfica back in 2017…

That was some years ago! I don’t remember it that clearly, but yeah I remember I was still a teenager for that game and it was a great experience.

Finally, are you looking forward to being back in London for the game?

Yeah, everyone wants to go to the game! It’s nice to be back and obviously to see the fans again, some old teammates that are still there and the coaching staff too, so it will be a great game.

It’s a shame Alexandre Lacazette won’t be returning for this match but he’s been busy helping his country win a silver medal at the Olympics. Rayan Cherki, defensive midfielder Johann Lepenant and goalkeeper Lassine Diarra are absent too for the same reason.

What to expect from Lyon today? Well, Arsenal’s Adrian Clarke has all the answers:

Head coach Pierre Sage is not married to one system of play, or a single philosophy. Since replacing Fabio Grosso in late November with his side rock bottom of the table, the 45-year-old former academy manager has experimented with several formations, including three at the back. 

During a fabulous run from January onwards though, a surge which led to a remarkable sixth-place finish, his preferred shape was usually a 4-3-3.

Flexibility is at the core of his approach. He will adapt his plans around player availability, the balance of his starting XI and Lyon’s opponents. This tact was reflected when he made these comments when quizzed about his tactical beliefs.

“You have to have an idea but above all, you have to have lots of variations to this idea. The mistake is to think that it’s the coach’s ideas that are important. It’s not! What matters is what the team can do,” Sage said modestly.

You cannot pin Lyon down to one specific style. They can press well but you would not describe them as a pressing side. They can pass patiently and with quality, but equally they are not a possession-obsessed outfit either.

One of Lyon’s strengths is set-pieces but they have a tendency to start matches slowly and can be a bit disorganised. As Clarke points out, they conceded 30 first-half goals last season. Arsenal conceded just 29 goals in the Premier League last season.

I’ve no idea how Mikel Arteta will approach this game as far as team selection goes but at some stage of the game, we’ll hopefully get to see our only new signing of the summer. I doubt Jurrien Timber will be risked for this one.

It’s going to be hot at 2pm, very hot so I’m sure there will be a vast number of changes as the game goes on. Striker Khayon Edwards was amongst the youngsters involved in training with the Arsenal first-team squad this week. Goalkeeper Alexei Rojas continued to train with the first-team along with Ethan Nwaneri, Josh Nichols and Myles Lewis-Skelly. (Jeorge Bird)

I know the result doesn’t matter, not really but it would be good to go into the new season on a positive note. Winning breeds winning and we have a very tough start to the season.

Enjoy the game guys.

 

 

 

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