This summer, Arsenal almost upgraded the attack to a new level with Noni Madueke and especially Viktor Gyokeres. Mikel Arteta's remaining job is to choose a system to optimize all superstars.
Arteta will start the pre -season period with more options. The importance of that cannot be underestimated, especially when the previous pre -season stages have provided Arsenal a platform to take control of the Premier League campaign. Summer three years ago is probably the most typical example. Gabriel Jesus signed a contract before the tour in the US, then Oleksandr Zinchenko, and the duo brought the new team a new wind when the 2022/23 season started.
At that time, Arteta found his favorite starting squad in the pre-season match: 4-0 victory over Chelsea at Orlando. Twelve months later, Arteta ended the pre -season period by using Declan Rice at No. 8 and Kai Havertz in the upper line in the defeat in the Super Cup. It was an experiment that Arteta returned and attached from the second half of the 2023/24 season when Arsenal benefited from the flexibility of both players.
Additional squads made in the summer of 2025 can turn the pre -season this season into a new step in Arsenal's development under Arteta.
Because the Swedish striker is a popular contract, the most obvious script will be Gyokeres playing striker with Bukayo Saka on the right wing and Gabriel Martinelli on the left wing.
But if Arteta wants to use 5 friendly matches will take place in the next 3 weeks as an opportunity to test, he has players to create.
Arteta's favorite 4-3-3 system may have quite simple changes. Havertz can share the location of the central striker with Gyokeres, with Jesus more depth after recovery after a cross -ligament injury. Madueke will not join the squad until after the Asian trip, because it is currently on the summer vacation after helping Chelsea win the World Cup, but can be back up to Saka in the right wing as well as providing support on the left wing.
Setting up midfield will be more interesting, with only 3 positions. The trio of Martin Odegaard, Rice and a Martin Zubimendi a little deeper is the most likely to see when Arsenal's Premier League season starts on MU on Sunday, August 17. In that scenario, Zubimendi will be the pace, allowing Rice to play a more box-to-box role and Odegaard promotes its creativity.
Although this is expected to be the main trio of midfielders for the upcoming season, some matches may require different skills.
For example, in addition to longing for a new striker, there are last season matches that Arsenal has benefited from having an more creative player in the central area. With the way Myles Lewis-Skelly is used in the left-back position, moving into the midfield, the Gunners squad in matches can play well by developing into something like this:
Some of the match states may only require either Rice and Zubimendi, as it can be put on a person who is more likely to attack, such as Ethan Nwaneri. The 18 -year -old, who is near a new contract, will take on a central role in the 2025/26 season. Although most of Nwaneri's minutes last season is at the number 8 right or right winger, he was tested in the left area.
During the pre -season last year, Nwaneri played at the number 8 left and had a assist for Jesus in the match against MU in Los Angeles. Nwaneri played in similar areas in one of the U21 European U21 group matches last month, showing the ability to move without good balls to create space for himself.
Nwaneri should have scored in that match after a time to run in the penalty area, but the finish was not standard. An important part of Nwaneri's development in recent years is also about how he moved into small gaps, which will bring more creativity behind the striker if Nwaneri is played with another attacking midfielder.
If Arsenal attacks that way, the left wing positions can be perfect for the goal of transfer of Eberechi Eze. The Crystal Palace midfielder has a skill set different from anyone in the Arsenal squad, and will certainly develop strongly with the rotation that can occur in such a setup.
That is not too different from the way they played when holding the ball, and actually fits the way Arsenal attacked in the 2022/23 season, when the players were divided into 5 defensive players and 5 attacking players.
Sometimes it is changed by the participation of Ben White in attacks, allowing them to be present in the field width.
Arteta has also been ready to play two central strikers in the 4-4-2 diagram in the past two seasons.
Havertz and Trossard played the role of that pair of strikers, disturbing the opponent's defense by a deep back and a person stretching the opponent squad.
Although Arteta tends to use this approach when strikers or other midfiels are not present, it is generally effective. Trossard and Havertz have coordinated extremely well, so Arteta can be considered as a way to use Havertz and Gyokeres together next season.
Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting, so assuming Havertz would be a deep backward, but the Swedish player also had 28 assists for the Lisbon team. At the previous club, Coventry City, he also created 17 times besides his own 43 goals. In fact, Gyokeres has achieved at least 10 assists in all competitions in the last three seasons.
Gyokeres also showed the ability to play with another central striker for Sweden, where he paired with Alexander Isak. Last season, 3 out of 4 assists of Gyokeres in the Nations League are for the player of Newcastle United.
In the 4-4-2 diagram, it can also be a good variant by using Madueke more in the role of a midfield, moving outer ring and crossing the ball into the penalty area from the left wing.
This may not be Arteta's preferred approach, but can raise another problem for the opponent's defense.
Arsenal is sometimes too predictable last season. The game slowly approached into the 1/3 area at the end of the yard often encountered a deep defense, forcing them to pass back and forth before a cross was put into the penalty area.
After resolving the depth of the squad in the deeper areas on the field, the increase in attack will bring Arteta more flexibility and harder to guess in attack. With that, not their goals can increase, but also Arsenal's attraction when viewed.
