I’m thrilled with the Gunners, but Mikel Arteta says “don’t get carried away”

What a night in Orlando!

In front of a Camping World Stadium record crowd of 63,811 the Gunners destroyed London rivals Chelsea 4-0. And actually, the final score doesn’t underline the total domination of Arsenal’s performance.

Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka tallied the first three goals, and then in the closing minutes of the game Albert Sambi Lokonga open his scoring account for the Gunners with a brilliant header!

The entire evening was sensational, beginning with the Fan Fest located outside the stadium. Games, food, drinks and special guests were all part of a terrific pregame party put together by the Florida Cup organization and the city of Orlando.

Then once inside the stadium, fans arrived early to watch warm-ups. Both teams were evenly represented with blue and red seen every where inside the stadium.

The Arsenal players especially should be heading back to London knowing Orlando has a special place in their hearts for the Gunners! It was simply an amazing night!

In terms of the match, Arsenal dominated from the opening kick. In a surprise move, Alex Zinchenko started at left fullback and played the entire first half. He looked positive and comfortable, and displayed the skills that brought him to north London.

Of course, Jesus, Saka, Martinelli and the lot were excellent on the ball, linking up for numerous chances. These three, along with Martin Odegaard in the #10 position, will provide many chills and thrills this season. Already their ability to find each other in the box is great to watch.

My other standout of the match was William Saliba. The young man is such a smooth player. He seems to know exactly where to be, and when to be there. Bottom line, a fierce competitor.

So, at the end of the night Arsenal took home the 2022 Florida Cup, and Gabriel Jesus was voted Man of the Match.

Obviously, I’m really excited about the current progress of the Gunners in preseason, but Mikel Arteta is still not completely sold on his squad. Here’s what he told Arsenal.com and the press following the match, “Yes but it was a friendly match. As you could see there are a lot of positives to take from the game. The way we played, the intensity we showed, the way we were trying to show who we are as a team. But at the same time, it’s just a test match. Don’t get carried away. There are still a lot of things that we have to get better at, and do better. But I think it’s good to get some momentum, finish the tour in the right way, give some enjoyment to our fans and everybody that’s been contributing to make this tour happen. Now it’s time to go back to London, to focus and keep making improvements and steps forwards.”

So, there is still work to be done across the pond at London Colney. With 12 days and one preseason game remaining, Arteta and his squad are definitely progressing in the right direction, with the right purpose and the right goals.

Thanks for a terrific night in Orlando! The project lives!

COYG!

Gunner1953