Hale End shines
With so many senior players away at the World Cup this was always going to be an exciting camp for some of Arsenal's academy stars. Mehmet Ali's under-21s sit top of the Premier League 2 this season, and Mikel Arteta was keen to reward them with opportunities out in Dubai.
They came perhaps later than expected but the introduction of no fewer than nine academy youngsters was a welcome boost to a game that was just starting to lose its tempo in the second half. Some were perhaps more familiar like Matt Smith who was on the bench in the 2020 FA Cup final win, or Ethan Nwaneri, who made history with his Premier League debut against Brentford earlier this season.
Others though, people who are not familiar with the academy set-up will probably know less about. On the night, the standout performers off the bench were probably Lino Sousa and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said Gabriel Jesus' injury, January transfer plans and Smith Rowe return
Sousa is a left back who has been a regular for the 21s this season at the age of just 17. What is most exciting about him is how comfortable he is in central areas, and this was on full display on Thursday night as he played as a hybrid left-centre back/left back role - one that grizzled veterans sometimes struggle with - with aplomb. Although we weren't able to see much of his attacking strength, his standout moment came as he produced a miraculous goal-saving tackle to preserve Karl Hein's clean sheet.
Lewis-Skelly meanwhile is an even younger 16, but you would never have known it from the confidence with which he took to the pitch for his senior debut. The central midfielder only made his 21s bow this season, but is certainly a talent that academy sources are excited about. His willingness to take players on in the middle of the park is the exact kind of bravery that breaks tightly fought tactical battles open, and his weight of pass against Lyon nearly set Arsenal up for an attack that would have created a fourth.
There isn't enough time to go through the individual highlights of so many others who showed such great signs in front of the watching Mikel Arteta who was gushing in his praise of them after the game. "They are always with us and involved in our processes.," the Spaniard said in his post-match press conference. "We know that we want to get opportunities to young players. It’s something that we’re very adamant to do. Having them in camp is great to see them, some of them with a very young age, already performing and having opportunities with the first team it’s really nice to see."
Perhaps the only down point was a dire set of penalties in which only Marquinhos and Matt Smith were able to convert. Luckily Hein's brilliance mixed in with some equally awful spot kicks by Lyon players conspired to ensure it mattered little. The 21s stars will now get more time to train with the first team before Tuesday's friendly with AC Milan. With what Arteta saw at the Al-Maktoum Stadium on Thursday night, it would probably be a safe bet to say many will be in line for even more minutes then.
A welcome break
There's no denying that towards the end of the period before club football took a pause for the World Cup, some of Arsenal's second string were looking jaded. Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga in particular looked a shadow of the promise they had shown at the beginning of their respective seasons. After watching them against Lyon though, it's hard to wonder if maybe they have benefitted from the break.
Lokonga showed the passing range that makes him such an exciting talent with his ball to set Vieira free in the build-up to Eddie Nketiah's goal and this was just one of the many superb balls he played on the night. On top of that the Belgian showed a level of fight in the tackle far above this game's friendly status. Having been a man who looked as though his Arsenal career may be on the verge of fizzling out, that spark which excited us upon his arrival from Anderlecht seemed to be there once more.
Such terminal conclusions hadn't yet been drawn about Vieira, but it's true that his standards had fallen well below the promise of that early season match against Brentford. On the night he looked as though he had recaptured the confidence he required to take risks. Constantly he tried brave balls, and although the first few didn't come off, he was not to be deterred.
This Rocky-like resilience was needed from the 22-year-old who is slowly learning to fight for his place in the Arsenal side. His strike from the edge of the box is one he simply wouldn't have attempted if he wasn't feeling himself, and it was a superb end to the scoring on a find night for the Gunners.
With players like Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey all likely to need at least a bit of rest after the World Cup, this was always going to be a huge opportunity for players like Lokonga and Vieira. Having seemed as though they were coasting for much of late October and November, they now finally appear to have kicked into gear in order to take it.
Jesus latest
Even though Arsenal were playing in Dubai on Thursday night, the big story was back home in London. Gabriel Jesus' injury has sent shockwaves through the Gunners' title hopes, and the guessing game over when he might return isn't exactly helping with that.
It was no surprise when Mikel Arteta did little to pour water over the flames of panic after the game. The Arsenal manager is customarily tight-lipped when it comes to injury news, and his response when quizzed about Jesus' knee problem in Dubai was exactly as we expected.
"No," he said when asked if he had an expected return date for the Brazilian. "We know that he needed some intervention in the knee and we have to take day by day, week by week and see where that takes us."
In fairness to Arteta this is understandable. He probably doesn't want to weaken Arsenal's negotiating hand in the transfer market, and sending out a message to the rest of the Premier League that his side will be without their key striker for an exact period of time is the equivalent to waving a red flag in front of a bull. It does seem as though we're looking at months for Jesus who has been pictured recovering on crutches at home after undergoing surgery.
What Arteta was willing to admit however, is that contingency plans were going to have to be made. Despite not scoring regularly, Jesus has transformed the Arsenal attack from the league's sixth most potent force to its second, and replacing that will not be easy.
"What it affects is who we are as a team because he gives us so much," the Arsenal boss said of the impact Jesus' absence would have. "What we can do after that when we know the timescale better and we have when we can have him back we will look at the options and try to make the right decisions."
One of the perks of the timing of the injury is of course that it gives Arsenal plenty of time to sound out replacements. football.london understands that the Gunners were looking at strengthening in the forward areas in January anyway, so the plans haven't really changed.
What some have argued is that they may now need to go into sign two players next month to accommodate for the loss of Jesus. At this stage though that doesn't look likely. The evidence from last January is that the Gunners will not panic buy, and as Arteta has stated on several occasions, they will only bring in players capable of raising the level of the squad.
With that in mind its tricky to see them going big on a centre forward in January. Instead it seems as though the plan will be to seek out a swiss army knife type forward capable of filling in any position along the attacking line. Mykhaylo Mudryk is the name being most strongly linked, and his ability to operate in central areas could be something to consider there.
What's clear though is that, for now, Arteta seems relatively happy with the options at his disposal. "We have the players who can give us the performances and the consistency to maintain or improve from where we are," he told football.london . If Thursday's win over Lyon reminded us of anything it was how high that level is however. Maintaining it will not be easy.
Steady Eddie
One reason why Arteta might be feeling so confident, is the performance of his back up striker Eddie Nketiah. Throughout his time in the Arsenal first team, Nketiah has often been typecast as a poacher centre forward not capable of doing too much else. With each passing game this season though he is beginning to show how wrong that stereotype is.
On Thursday night he brought out all the hits of dropping deep, drifting out wide, and playing passes in behind to give further credence to his Gabriel Jesus tribute act. One bit of the impersonation he didn't exactly get right however, was the goal he managed to tap in after a fine assist from Fabio Vieira.
Of course this is not a suggestion that Nketiah is the superior striker. However, when the England under-21 international has been called upon to rescue Arsenal in the past he has had no problem in delivering.
Those criticising him seem to have a short memory, considering his run of five goals in eight starts came only between April and May of this year. Back then it was enough to keep Arsenal in the hunt for the Champions League, and if he can replicate that form this time around then it should be enough to maintain their status in the Premier League title race.
Perhaps people have been blinded by the reported £100,000 per week salary he earns when assessing his contribution to the squad. That though was simply a piece of good negotiating by his agent, and had Arsenal had to go out into the transfer market to secure a second centre forward in the summer then it would likely have cost far more than extending their academy graduate.
Nketiah has spent most of his career biding his time for opportunities and he has already stated that he is primed to take this one. "Yes, as a player everyone wants to play football," he said back in September. "My aim is to be starting and helping the team, but I respect the coach’s decision. It’s down to me keep working hard and putting in the performances. There will be a lot of opportunities for me to play, whether that be in Europe or in the League, and I’ll be ready whenever I’m called upon."
Thursday's performance was another reminder that he is more than ready to live up to the billing that he's given himself. With time on the training ground out here in Dubai as well, it seems as though he is developing into the all-round striker few thought he truly could be.
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