Arsenal News: Mikel Arteta praised Oleksandr Zinchenko, a recent addition to Arsenal, and William Saliba, the team’s centre-back. The manager praised them for their efforts after the Gunners easily defeated Chelsea 4-0 in Orlando.
Two goals on each side of the half highlighted the disparity in quality between the two teams on the night. Arteta’s players put on a strong performance for their friendly match on the other side of the water. The Gunners have won four of their first four games, nearly perfecting their whole preseason campaign.
Gabriel Jesus, an Arsenal summer addition, opened the opener against the Blues with a deft chip over the head of advancing Edouard Mendy. Arsenal displayed the confidence of a team playing well. Shortly later, Martin Odegaard extended the Gunners’ lead thanks to a brilliant through pass from Gabriel Martinelli.
Bukayo Saka scored on the other side of the break. Whereas, Albert Sambi Lokonga added a late header to seal the victory. Despite all of the goal scorers putting on strong performances, Zinchenko and Saliba stood out to Arteta.
Arsenal News: What did Arteta say?
Saliba was one of just two Arsenal players to play the whole 90 minutes, while Zinchenko had a successful debut.
Regarding Saliba, Arteta waxed poetic about how the defender has assimilated into the Arsenal squad after spending a season on loan with Marseille.
The Arsenal manager said, “I am really pleased to see the way he is playing, the way he has adapted to the team. The maturity that he’s shown at 21 years of age, continues on doing it.
“He has a tonne of potential, is currently a great talent, and we need to make him even better, so we’ll keep developing him.” When asked if he believes Saliba is finally prepared to play in the Premier League, Arteta responded, “He seemed ready to me today.”
Views of Arteta on Zinchenko
Zinchenko, who was playing for the first time just two days after his transfer from Manchester City was officially announced, received praise from the Arsenal manager as well.
I was aware that he was eager to play, Arteta admitted. He understands everything that I want, he understands the process. I thought he had a pretty excellent game, even though it was just for a maximum of 45 minutes.
Both players are anticipated to have significant roles for Arsenal in the upcoming campaign as Arteta attempts to get past the disappointment of their Champions League exit from last season and create a strong challenge for a top-four finish.
