Mikel Arteta said he was ‘very happy’ with Arsenal‘s pre-season tour after the Gunners complete a productive trip to America by beating Premier League rivals Chelsea 4-0 in the Florida Cup.
Arsenal have had an almost flawless pre-season schedule, beating Nuremberg, Everton and Orlando City before meeting Chelsea on Sunday at the Camping World Stadium in Florida.
The Gunners produced a dominant display against Thomas Tuchel‘s side, with goals from Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Sambi Lokonga sealing a 4-0 victory.
New signing Gabriel Jesus scored his fourth pre-season goal in the win, but Arteta chose to have special credit for William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Saliba was one of only two Arsenal players to play the entire 90 minutes against Chelsea, while Zinchenko played 45 minutes, just two days after his £32 million move from Manchester City.
“I am very happy,” said Arsenal boss Arteta. ‘With the performance in general and with the tour.
“The attitude from a club perspective to show here, and all the work we’ve done and understand how big we are and how much support we’re getting.
“Then today’s performance is of course another very good example, that we are moving forward, improving a lot as a team, but not getting carried away. It’s a test match and there’s still a lot to do to get better.’
Speaking of Saliba, Arteta said: “I’m really happy to see the way he plays, the way he’s adapted to the team, the maturity he’s shown at 21 years old, continues to do it.
“We will continue to develop him, he has huge potential, he is already a top player and we have to make him even better.”
When asked if Saliba was ‘ready’ to impress at Arsenal for the 2022-23 season, Arteta replied: ‘He looked ready for me today.’
Arteta also praised Zinchenko’s performance, adding: “He was desperate to play and I knew it. It was a maximum of 45 minutes, but you could tell right away that he was comfortable.
“He understands everything I want, he understands the process and I thought he had a really good game.”
Arsenal now return to London and face Spain’s Sevilla at the Emirates next weekend, before starting their Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace on August 5.
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