Jesus shows Arsenal what they've been missing
It didn't take Gabriel Jesus long to show why Arsenal were so happy to have secured his signature. Less than 90 seconds after coming on the Brazilian rifled a shot into the top right corner of the net from a tight angle to announce his arrival from Manchester City in style.
It wasn't so much the goals that accompanied his second half cameo but the intensity that showed why Jesus is such a necessary addition to the Gunners attack. Literally from minute one, the 25-year-old played like a man who would stop at nothing to get his team a goal. Contrast that to the shot-shy tepid approach Alexandre Lacazette had to the centre forward position last season, and it's hard not to wonder what European competition Arsenal would be playing in this year if Jesus had arrived a season earlier.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about his time on the pitch at the Max-Morlock Stadion though was not necessarily his individual performance, but rather how he combined with his new teammates. Many have assumed that Jesus has been brought in to play as the starting number nine, with Eddie Nkeitiah as his understudy, but few have considered the possibility that they could be part of an ensemble cast.
READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on Jesus' debut, Arsenal's transfer aims and Tielemans links
The opening goal showed signs of just how fruitful the relationship between the pair could be going forward as Jesus played a ball infield to Nketiah from a wide right starting position, before bursting into the box to receive the one-two with devastating movement. This is something that a delighted Mikel Arteta admitted after the game he is keen explore going forward in this unique season.
"The understanding with Eddie as well has been really good," the Spaniard said after the match. "it’s something that we want to have as an option this year especially with five subs. We have other alternatives and it’s great that they can do it together."
For his part Jesus is relishing the chance to play with a striker like Nketiah too. "It was so good to play with Eddie," he gushed after full time. "We’re both together and make short passes that’s good. Two strikers there is a little bit different. We have a lot of qualities and it was so good to play with him."
Many have viewed Arsenal as a rigidly 4-3-3 side going forward, but the tactical flexibility provided by Jesus' introduction was what ultimately won them this game. Last season their inability to fight back from adversity was a problem only exacerbated by the lack of options in the squad to change their impending fate within matches. Having turned up from a team as stylistically fluid as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, Jesus already feels like the man who can help the Gunners turn that around.
Further debutants
This being the first pre-season friendly in front of fans there was of course a chance to see some of the new arrivals who have joined Arsenal this summer. Fabio Vieira was not in contention as he continues to recover carefully from a minor foot injury sustained on international duty, but fellow newbies Matt Turner and Marquinhos were both included in the squad.
The American goalkeeper started from the off in the absence of Aaron Ramsdale who is not yet back from international duty and Bernd Leno who has been linked with a move to Fulham this week. Some early saves showed promise, but he probably will have wanted to do better with Johannes Geis' swerving opener from distance.
Turner throughout his career though has shown he can comeback from adversity and is unlikely to be too severely affected by his debut error if you can even call it that. Early murmurs from the Arsenal camp have spoken very highly of how quickly he has settled in and how personable he has been with his teammates, so there will be a will to help him succeed.
Marquinhos meanwhile came off the bench with around 20 minutes to go. The Brazilian is something of an unknown quantity having arrived from Sao Paolo for around £3million this summer. It is still not clear what the plan will be with him going forward this season, and this cameo is unlikely to have given us too much more of an idea.
The winger found it tricky to get in to the game as much as he would have hoped, but in fairness to him he came on at a late stage where the crazy spate of second half scoring was largely coming to an end. A nice whipped cross to Gabriel Jesus that prompted applause from his compatriot was perhaps a glimpse at what Marquinhos will be capable of once he's more settled.
Youngsters impress
One more new face to make the starting line up on Friday was 17-year-old Reuell Walters. The defender has primarily featured as a right back or right wing back for the under-23s, but was drafted in as a central defender in a back four and largely coped well. The highlight of his impressive display was a show of great speed and strength to prevent the dangerous looking Kwadwo Duah from breaking in behind the Arsenal back line to cause damage.
Part of the reason why Mikel Arteta felt so confident throwing Walters in at the deep end was the mentality he has shown during his time at the club. Since being called up to the first team training camp at Adidas HQ this week, the youngster has shown a dedication far beyond his years. He and fellow 17-year-old Lino Sousa have been waking each other up early to go for extra runs before training and doing extra sessions after. For many talented young players the realisation of what it takes to be an elite professional footballer does not dawn till it's too late, but with these two it does appear the penny has already dropped.
Credit for this must go to the Arsenal academy who have signed both players late in their development. Walters came in just over a year ago after taking time out of the game following spells with Tottenham and Manchester United, while Sousa joined from West Brom in January.
Up against the big budgets of teams like Chelsea and Manchester City - who were able to field a £10 million player on their bench during an under-23s game last season - Arsenal have had to fight smart with limited resources. Sousa and Walters, along with Salah Oulad M'Hand, who also impressed during a cameo of his own on Friday and Omar Rekik and Mika Biereth who have both gone out on loan to Holland this season, were signed for a combined fee of less than £2 million. In each case the diligent work of Yousuf Sajjad and the talent ID team at under 17-23 level has been crucial in sourcing and producing players who are both mentally and technically ready to compete at a high level despite their young age.
Many more of the under-23 vintage from last season like Charlie Patino and Arthur Okonkwo were also in action, with Patino in particular impressing in his second half cameo. The hope now will be that as many of them as possible can be included in the group that travels to the USA next week in the hope of impressing Mikel Arteta. Whether they get that opportunity or not though, it does appear that the future is bright for these extremely talented youngsters.
Transfer business still not over
As exciting as it was to see the new summer arrivals on display in Nuremberg, it is impossible to escape the feeling that Arsenal's summer business is still not over. Throughout the commentary of the game there were mentions of links to further players who bolster the options the Gunners have in their squad.
One of those is Youri Tielemans of Leicester City, who Mikel Arteta was asked about after the game. Despite refusing to be drawn on a specific player, the Spaniard was willing to admit that he was hopeful of bringing more signings in than the four he's already got.
"We never talk about players that are not ours," he said. "We can still improve the team in the market and we’re going to try to do it, but I won’t go into any specific names."
While he won't mention anyone specific, another link that doesn't go away is Ajax's Lisandro Martinez. Although Kieran Tierney's substitution after 30 minutes was pre-planned it was yet another reminder of how cover behind the frail Scottish international is a priority this window. Other areas like the right wing where Raphinha of Leeds was pursued as a target earlier in the window are also still being considered for additions.
However, there are still players at the club who despite apparently being in the departure lounge, could have something to help Arsenal take off this season. The likes of Pablo Mari, Hector Bellerin, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson all started despite seemingly not being in the long term plans, and speaking after the game Arteta's message to them was clear.
"What I said to them on the first day is that they are Arsenal players," he said. "Things change dramatically in football from one day to another and you have to be prepared for that. If any of those players want to take the opportunity, the door is open and they will have to earn it. It’s no different to any other player in the squad."
That does appear to be an olive branch and it will be interesting to see how each individual case plays out going forward. But with just under two months of the transfer window remaining it does appear that there are plenty more twists and turns to be expected at the Emirates.
READ NEXT
Nurnberg vs Arsenal LIVE: Kick-off time, team news, goal and score updates, stream details
Jack Wilshere's one-word Arsenal message as his next move is revealed after retirement
Kieran Tierney return, transfer hints and what to look out for in Arsenal pre-season friendly
Arsenal half-time ratings vs Nurnberg as Turner has mixed debut and Mari struggles
Arsenal player ratings vs Nurnberg as Gabriel Jesus stars, Elneny and Martinelli impress
