It's always good to pick up wins and perform well during pre-season, but a lot of it is also about trying new things and preparing for different scenarios for the upcoming campaign.
That's exactly what Mikel Arteta did during Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton yesterday after ringing the changes at half-time. Kieran Tierney's absence due to a 'slight problem' meant that Nuno Tavares started at left-back, but instead of Cedric taking his place at the break, it was 17-year-old Reuell Walters who was tasked with playing there for the second 45.
The youngster has remained part of the first team's pre-season tour after making an impressive debut in Germany the other week, and now he is the only current academy player to have been included in the squad that has flown over to America. Despite primarily operating as a right-back, Walters played at centre-back alongside Pablo Mari against FC Nurnberg and didn't look out of place one bit. He met the physical demands with relative ease, looked calm on the ball and was defensively switched on in most moments.
