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In his first game in charge of Arsenal, Emery saw his side draw with Atletico Madrid before losing on penalties. There were some areas of weaknesses in the backline seen in the first game against Diego Simeone's side. However, the Arsenal football team showed potential in their attack. The blistering pace of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang often threatened the opponents and Aaron Ramsey started to find greater freedom in the midfield.
Most will not take pre-season friendlies seriously. Premier League title winner, Manchester City, has already lost two of their friendlies in the United States of America. Many regular starters, who were involved in the World Cup 2018, have yet to return to their training. The first real test for Emery would be on August the 12th when he takes on Pep Guardiola's team at the Emirates.
Emery named a strong starting eleven against Atletico Madrid in the Singapore National Stadium. Most of the youngsters only came on in the second half of the game after Emile Smith Rowe scored the equalizer for his side. Many Arsenal players admitted that the team is still a ''work in progress'' as they adapt to life under the 46-year-old manager. A number of youth players have caught the attention of fans with their performances in recent days. Here is a look at three of them who everyone should look out for in this upcoming season.
#3 Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Maitland-Niles is one of the most experienced youths on the team. The 20-year-old star is already making a name for himself, even though there is still plenty of hype on Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah. The problem with the latter two is that both have not quite proven themselves on the senior stage. On the other hand, Maitland Niles is one who has been consistently used by Arsene Wenger as a defender and as a midfielder.
The opportunities that he had last season would surely have prepared him to face tougher challenges in the upcoming one. Even though Wenger is now no longer the manager of Arsenal, Emery seems confident that Maitland-Niles would have a role to play in the club. Additionally, he was the only player who managed to score from the spot against Atletico Madrid on Thursday evening in a disappointing penalty shootout. The rest of the youngsters and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were unable to convert their chance.
He has played on various positions on the pitch during his time under Wenger. However, Maitland-Niles mostly takes on a defensive role in the game where the French manager had felt that the player would be best in. The teen is extremely adept in taking set-pieces, dribbling, and defensive contribution. With age catching up on Nacho Monreal and speculation that the Spaniard could return to Spain, Maitland-Niles would be eager to step up whenever he has the chance to.
The English player has always seen himself as a central midfielder. In the early stages of Emery's takeover, it would be hard to tell where the new manager would see his position on the pitch. Regardless of where he plays, the amount of potential he has is undeniable. Fans should look forward to more opportunities of seeing him play in the upcoming season.
#2 Mattéo Guendouzi
Not much is known about this Frenchman who just joined Arsenal from Lorient. The youth star started his career at Paris Saint-Germain, before leaving in 2014. In his last two years playing for Lorient, he made his first team appearance on the senior team. During that period, the midfielder amassed 26 appearances for his club. Unfortunately, before he could help his team to get back into Ligue 1, he was snapped up by Arsenal.
Like Smith Rowe, Guendouzi started against the Europa League Champions. The 19-year-old seemed particularly energetic in the match and could be another box-to-box midfielder just like Aaron Ramsey. The new signing looked pretty confident in his own prowess during the match and never gave up in chasing his opponents.
Given his experience in French football, he stands a better chance in representing the Gunners in various competitions this season as compared to Smith Rowe. According to Whoscored, the player is strong in his ball interception and he likes to dribble the ball. Arsenal had also signed Lucas Torreira who has proven to be exceptionally good in his ball interception. Both of them could work well together and learn from each other in the months to come.
The French midfielder cost the club just £7 million and he already looks like a bargain. From the recent training photos, it seems like he has formed a strong friendship with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, both of whom speak French predominantly. This could be beneficial in helping the youngster adapt to life in North London and get prepared for the first-team action against Premier League clubs.
#1 Emile Smith Rowe
Days before his 18th birthday, he was named in the starting line-up against Atletico Madrid. Delightfully for him and the fans, Smith Rowe scored a stunning equalizer in the match and forced both sides to go into penalties. The youngster certainly has impressed Emery during training which gave him the golden opportunity to represent his team in the pre-season tour and be named in the starting eleven.
The attacking midfielder could find it hard to make his appearance in the Premier League next season as the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi, and other midfielders would take charge in the midfield. That being said, the English player could stay in the Arsenal academy or continue playing with the youth team in Premier League 2 instead of being loaned out.
Thus far, Smith Rowe has made a combined total of 37 appearances for Arsenal U18 and U23 squad, scoring 14 goals and creating four assists in the process. The 18-year-old could be used in the early stages of the Europa League competition or even in domestic cup ties by Emery. However, it is hard to foresee him making his senior appearance in the Premier League despite the early promise that he has shown. Nonetheless, he could become one of the great stars of the club in years to come.
