Barnet 0 Arsenal 4
Samir Nasri made it 4-0 on 74 minutes after cashing in on a Barnet blunder and slotting home with ease. AW salutes the fans after being implored with the ‘Arsene, give us a wave’ ditty.
Marouane Chamakh made his debut for Arsenal in the second half of the friendly at Barnet, started with No.29 shirt, and I have to say he looked very lively. Strong, quick feet, eager for the ball. Got his own song already: ‘Chamakh, Chamakh, Chamakh’ to the old ‘attack, attack, attack’ song.
Lots of changes to personnel. Mannone replaced Fabianski, with Keiren Gibbs, Graig Eastmond, Henri Lansbury, Miquel, Henderson, Nacer Barazite, Samir Nasri, Johan Djourou and theo Walcott all coming on. Theo went close with an audacious chip after three minutes on the action getting under way after the break. And he went close again on 55 minutes with a drive with his left peg that fizzed wide of the left-hand post.
Barnet seem to have more purpose this half and their tackles are sharper. After 71 minutes we get the first rendition of the Harry Twitch song.
Andrey Arshavin had led Barnet a merry dance in the first half of the friendly game at Underhill as the glorious Gunners took a 3-0 interval lead.
Jay Simpson, back from a loan spell at QPR last season, notched two and seemed to be involved in all the good moves from AW’s men.
<arshavin opened the scoring for the Arsenal after a minute or so after a slick one-two with Tom Rosicky and that set the standard with the No.23 showing blistering pace and quick feet to bamboozle the Bees.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas had a pile-driver beaten away after four minutes before Simpson made it 2-0 after good work from Jack Wilshere set him up and he slotted home calmly from inside the box.
Two minutes later on 17 minutes Wilshere had a dig himself but the shot bobbled wide.
Tommy V. had a shot cleared off the line and then hit a right-footed effort high and wide.
Nordtveit looked a real threat going forward from his right-back berth. Arshavin took a knock after 27 minutes, limping a bit but seemed to have run it off.
The former Zenit player saw and effort fly over the bar on the half hour mark, meanwhile Frimpong was in lively form in the middle of the park.
Wilshere should have done better with an opening after 35 minutes but the shot, with his right foot not his favoured left, skewed wide of the upright.
Nice turn from Rosicky but he edged his effort wide on 39 minutes. Natty new haird-do, Tom!
Hard to see how good new boy Koscielny is as he hasn't been troubled too much by the Barnet frontline…looks very slight in physique.
Arshavin hit the bar with a curling right-footed effort just three minutes from the break and should have made it 3-0.
But Jay Simpson did just that a minute later when he slotted home after a great run from Arshavin and a slick pass from Wilshere.
Arsenal kicked off the campaign of pre-season friendlies with a game at Underhill against Barnet this afternoon. The annual curtain-raiser to action was delayed by 10 minutes.
Arsenal starting XI: Fabianski, Nordtveit, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Traore, Frimpong, Rosicky, Wilshere, Arshavin, Simpson, Emmanuel-Thomas.
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