Eddie Nketiah came off the bench to earn Arsenal an encouraging pre-season win against Bayern Munich.
Young striker Nketiah poked in an 88th minute winner just when it seemed Arsenal’s ICC opener at LA Galaxy’s Dignity Health Sports Park against the German champions was heading to penalties.
Arsenal went ahead in the 49th minute when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s cross was turned into his own next by Bayern defender Louis Poznanski.
Bayern improved as the half wore on and deservedly equalised when Robert Lewandowski headed in Arsenal old boy Serge Gnabry’s 71st minute cross.
But three of Unai Emery’s late subs combined at the death to earn the Gunners victory.
Tyreece John-Jules played a one-two with Calum Chambers and crossed for Nketiah to poke in from close range. Here are five things we learned from the pre-season clash.
New captain after Koscielny
The Arsenal captaincy is seemingly up for grabs after Laurent Koscielny’s decision to go on strike.
There is surely no way he can wear the armband again, even if he stays. There was another hint that Granit Xhaka is in pole position to replace the Frenchman when he led Arsenal out against Bayern Munich at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Gunners boss Unai Emery is planning to construct another leadership group of up to five players and Xhaka looks primed to lead it, having got the nod in a strong Arsenal team ahead of other possible contenders likely to be in this season’s pool of possible skippers Sokratis, Nacho Monreal and Mesut Ozil.
Case for the defence
This was a new look Arsenal sporting their new yellow strip in a nod to their bruised banana kit of the early-90s but one with similar feel.
There were no new faces in the side Unai Emery started with, his strongest possible, and only one, youngster Gabriel Martinelli, has arrived so far this summer.
Arsenal fans then got another sense of déjà vu when they almost conceded a calamity own goal when they were dispossessed trying to play out from the back, Bernd Leno and Sokratis got in each other’s way in a comical mix-up before the Gunners goalkeeper pounced on the ball before Bayern could punish them.
And then another when Shkodran Mustafi misjudged Serge Gnabry’s cross to allow Robert Lewandowski to score, the latest in a string of second half scares following the half-time introductions of the impressive Kingsley Coman and Gnabry.
It was also worth noting, though, that the Gunners’ backline could be significantly shored up by day one of the new Premier League season and be almost entirely new by Christmas.
Left-back Kieran Tierney and a new senior centre-back are expected to arrive and Hector Bellerin is looking at a December return from this serious knee injury.
Encouraging attacking signs
Going forward there was plenty to cheer Unai Emery from Arsenal’s first big runout of pre-season. They played some slick, fluid, entertaining stuff.
Mesut Ozil was roaming, dangerous and creative, though might have expected to have taken at least one of the two clear chances he created. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette also looked sharp against the German champions.
Aubameyang set up Arsenal’s own goal opener and great chances for Ozil and sub Reiss Nelson though somehow missed a second-half sitter himself.
Lacazette showed his alertness when he almost pressed Manuel Neuer into conceding an early goal. Youngster Joe Willock caught the eye with a combative performance in midfield.
Stan Kroenke in the house
Stan Kroenke’s absence from Arsenal games is now the norm. To the point nobody was taking the possibility seriously when it was suggested the Gunners’ owner would be on board a helicopter that landed in a field next to the stadium ahead of kick off.
But to the surprise of many, Kroenke was indeed one of the passengers who climbed off and was making a rare appearance at an Arsenal game.
It was the second show of greater X from the Kroenke family. Director son Josh issued a public letter to fans and conducted an interview after Arsenal’s friendly against Colorado Rapids in response to fan criticism and now this from the man at the very top.
Of course, Kroenke making the relatively short journey from Denver to LA is unlikely to appease the Arsenal fans who referenced his absence from London in their call for change this week and his attendance had long been planned but it was certainly notable.
Serge Gnabry
As Arsenal chase a new winger this summer it is impossible not to wonder what might have been with Serge Gnabry. The 23 year-old seemed only too happy to show Arsenal when he came on at the break.
Gnabry is a player transformed now and comes into this season as Bayern’s reigning player of the year and a Germany regular.
That confidence and increased threat he now poses showed straight away when he went close to scoring at the end of a direct run soon after the restart and then again when he threatened Emiliano Martinez’s goal once more after being slipped through.
The end product that he was threatening duly came in the 70th minute when he set up Robert Lewandowski’s headed equaliser. No blame can be attached to Arsenal for Gnabry’s exit three years ago.
He wanted to leave due to what he considered a lack of action and has revived his career back in his homeland over the following years. But seeing the genuine danger man he has become will ensure there will still be some lingering regret about how things panned out for Gnabry at the Emirates.
