Arsenal 3-0 Athletic Bilbao
And so the Emirates Cup, a pre-season Club Friendly, belongs to Arsenal again!
Here were the Gunners seeking home comforts and getting them, to the extent that this SBOTOP onlooker was suitably impressed.
Sure, far more testing days lie ahead – after all, this was little more than a glorified friendly against limited opponents.
But, as pre-season goes, it was something of a statement with enough Emirates Cup 2025 highlights to keep the majority inside the stadium happy.
After some of the negativity in midweek, this was quite the opposite for North London.
Viktor Gyokeres had his first Arsenal goal within 34 minutes and it may have been a sign of things to come when he latched on to a wonderful cross from fellow newcomer Martin Zubimendi to power a header past Unai Simon.
Bukayo Saka added a second minutes later to effectively make the contest safe, doubling their advantage when captain Martin Odegaard dinked one over the top for Gabriel Martinelli to control, and with Simon in no man’s land, he slipped it right to Saka who rolled the ball into an empty net.
While the tempo dropped after the restart, a good early evening for Mikel Arteta’s men was rounded off with a goal for the returning Kai Havertz who showed impressive pace to fire in late on, end pre-season on a high and ensure the Emirates Cup 2025 betting odds were bob-on (the home side also then won 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out, though why that was necessary is beyond me).
A regular pre-season tradition since 2007, it means each of the last four editions of the Emirates Cup has been won by Arsenal, who thumped Sevilla in 2022, edged out Monaco on penalties in 2023 and sank Lyon 2-0 in last year’s contest.
Arteta was delighted with what he saw from Gyokores, who also hit the woodwork, and while he will naturally take the headlines, perhaps what was most noticeable of all was another new recruit.
Zubimendi’s quality on the ball is to be expected for a player representing Spain and his superb cross for Gyokores’ header showed just that, but it was his tenacious tackling and his ability to be in the right place at the right time in front of the defence that could quickly make him a fan favourite.
This was the first time Arteta has put Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Odegaard together and the Gunners boss was excited with what he saw.
While results are never the main focus in pre-season and will be of little importance for either side, the visit to England has proved costly for Athletic Bilbao.
They have picked up a number of injuries on their travels, including the talented Oihan Sancet who is set to miss the start of the La Liga season with a lateral knee ligament issue which will rule him out for a month.
On the upside, they have kept hold of Nico Williams, one of the stars of Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph last summer.
His decision to sign a long-term deal marked a milestone in Athletic history and reinforces a sense of trust in the club already shown by other teammates such as Simon, Sancet, Dani Vivian, Mikel Jauregizar, Beñat Prados, head coach Ernesto Valverde, and of course, Nico’s brother, Iñaki Williams, the captain of what is quickly becoming a generational side.
While they will be underdogs domestically and in Europe next term, the boys from the Basque Country are a side who can defeat anyone on their day.
The expectations with Arsenal are very different following their significant outlay over the past two years.
Arteta, who has been in charge at the club for five and a half years, has a solitary FA Cup to show for his efforts thus far, and, while that alone is not a fair reflection on the progress the club has made since his appointment, that is the currency of football at the highest level.
So can new recruits Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Gyokeres, Cristhian Mosquera, and Kepa Arrizabalaga help take Arsenal to that elusive final step to becoming champions for the first time since the “Invincibles” in 2004, as they aim to improve on finishing as Premier League runners-up for a third successive season?
Based on this evidence, perhaps they are ready. Either way, it’s time for the talking to stop.
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