Inside Arsenal’s tour of Singapore and Hong Kong

Arsenal is now looking forward to winning their first trophy since 2020 after wrapping up their pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong.

Manager Mikel Arteta’s plans for this pre-season were heavily influenced by his. Before the entire group traveled to Spain and Asia, he came across the idea to organize the voluntary player training camp in June.

Last year, injuries cost the Gunners a lot of money, and Arteta has previously noted how taking too much of a break causes players to break after a while of rest. The camps were created to accelerate their progress.

All three Gunners’ opponents mentioned Arsenal’s level of performance, and Arteta himself believes there has been a click because the pre-season work appeared to have the desired effect.

At the club’s Singaporean debut, center-back Gabriel Magalhaes and center-back Arteta made reference to the pressure to win a trophy in interviews and during his first press conference of the tour, along with large posters that read “ready for new heights.”

With his relentless work ethic, sporting director Andrea Berta has impressed fans at the club since his first transfer window with Arsenal.

The signings were planned last season, with Arteta removing his “tier status” system and discussing how the club could improve the squad.

The manager is acting in a different way given the demands of the football schedule. “Tier one” players were guaranteed starters.

The ideal illustration is Madueke’s signing. The England international, 23, was signed for £48.5 million with the idea that the team’s situation might not be affected by Bukayo Saka’s absence.

Players both on and off the field are inexplicably demanding during pre-season tours.

Throughout the 12-day tour, Adidas was regularly present around the team hotel for promotional events, kit launches, and fan events.

After the win over Newcastle, the squad did have some downtime for golf and a few evenings out in Singapore. Players then headed to a bar in the Marina Bay Area.

The players faced off against the coaching staff during sessions, but the majority of the work was done during the day.

Arteta does this with good intentions. Even in pre-game press conferences, the manager dislikes disclosing information to his rivals.

There are no first and second teams, but instead the two groups of players who were grouped during the sessions are facing off against one another.

Viktor Gyokeres’ arrival for a deal worth up to £64 million was the biggest highlight of the tour.

Gyokores and Arteta traveled to Singapore on a commercial flight with sporting director Berta to arrive before the friendly against Newcastle because they wanted to get them with the team as soon as possible.

Gyokeres and the staff were curious to see how the team would respond to him and his arrival, which was an intriguing dynamic.

Gyokeres, who also wears the 14 shirt worn by Arsenal’s all-time top goalscorer Thierry Henry, is believed to have the physical and mental capacity to handle the pressure of playing at the top nine.

There was a noticeable change in the way Arsenal played during the tour.

Arteta views friendships as tests because of its high level of complacency.

The intention to move the ball forward more quickly seems to be at a higher tempo in the play so far.

Ethan Nwaneri played the team’s first two matches in the center, a sign that Arsenal sees his future after a breakthrough season in the right. There are also indications of how the team will advance.

The directness of Eddie Howe’s side and the ability to handle Eddie Howe’s physical challenge were on display when Newcastle came home.

Arsenal has once more made a point of hiring physical players. Strong players like Garyes, Christian Norgaard, and Cristhian Mosquera are all strong, and fans have begun to notice Martin Zubimendi’s stature.

They will emulate Gyokeres and make use of both his intimidating physical style and his apparent ability to “burst through center-backs.”

Particularly against Newcastle, there was a focus on goal threat. Arsenal used runs in behind the defense to break lines and launch shots more quickly.

Max Dowman, 15, has been a magnet for excitement for a long time, but the club is cautious with him because of his age and the demands of playing top-level football.

Similar to the rest of the senior professionals in the Arsenal squad, Dowman’s physical output in both youth and training matches.

Arsenal are aware that Dowman needs to be eased into scenarios to see how he responds to the physical challenges of elite football despite the fact that they have a highly talented player on their hands.

In all three friendlies, Saka was replaced by Dowman, who will most likely take Madueke’s place once he is fully developed.