With a lot of the Arsenal-related conversation revolving around who’s going to play at centre-back until Laurent Koscielny is fully fit and whether or not one of the quartet of Alexander Lacazette,Riyad Mahrez, Mauro Icardi/ or Julian Draxler will end up in a Gunners strip by August 31st, an under-the-radar story to follow is the two Arsenal youngsters representing their countries at the Olympics.
The men’s football tournament at the Olympics is a wacky one – the teams have to be filled with players under the age of 23 except for three “overage players.” But most country’s preferred choices are being held back by their club teams.
The most notable include Juventus’ Argentinan striker Paulo Dybala and Arsenal’s Nigerian international Alex Iwobi. Club teams aren’t required to release their players for this competition, unlike other international tournaments like the World Cup, but notable players such as Brazil’s Neymar and Nigeria and Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel are playing.
No major players on Arsenal’s book are turning out for their countries, but two fringe senior players and are in Rio as we speak.
And two of them got off to a hot start, both off the bench. Japanese striker Takuma Asano, signed fresh from Sanfrecce Hiroshima this summer, scored during Japan’s 5-4 loss to Nigeria in both team’s Group B opener. Not to be outdone, Germany winger Serge Gnabry scored once and earned the corner that led to Germany’s other goal in their 2-2 draw with Group C opponent and defending gold medal champions Mexico.
Another Arsenal player, Portuguese goalkeeper Joao Virginia, was named in the initial squad but is not listed in Portugal’s roster on the FIFA website for tournament.
Because of their involvement in the Olympics, neither Asano nor Gnabry will be involved in the Arsenal team for the beginning of the Premier League season, but there’s something positive about these two young players getting the experience.
Gnabry came in as a 28th-minute substitute for captain and Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka and in the 58th minute, he made an impact with a neat and tidy finish around Mexico goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera.
Asano’s goal was even tidier. Japan were down 5-2 to Nigeria in the 53rd minute when Asano subbed in. Seventeen minutes later, Arsenal’s newest striker finished a nice backheel past Nigeria goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel.
Twitter: Arsenal signing Takuma Asano just scored this cheeky flick.
Perfect excuse for Wenger not to sign anyone else!
https://t.co/5LcUIRXna3 (@Oddschecker)
Whether or not these goals are signs that Arsenal don’t need to sign anyone else, Gunners fans can take positives from the experiences these two players are getting.
Asano gets a chance to show himself on a world stage after a big-money move. With several players (Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alex Iwobi, Jeff Reine-Adelaide to name a few) ahead of him on the team sheet in his preferred position, Gnabry needs some consistent football.
For players on the fringe like these two, playing international football on a widely-watched stage, no matter the level of competition, can only be a positive.
One could argue that they would benefit more from playing in the preseason matches in Scandinavia, but playing lots of minutes under the pressure and attention of the Olympics is certainly much better than getting 30-45 minutes at best in an at-best lightly-competitive preseason friendly.
Arsenal fans should at least glance at the results and track how Asano and Gnabry are performing for their countries in this prestigious international event.
