Owen Sanders
Arsenal’s first pre-season outing in front of supporters turned into a one-man showcase. By the final whistle at Montilivi the score read a comfortable 4-1, but the name on everyone’s lips was a 16-year-old with no intention of waiting his turn. Max Dowman finished with a goal and an assist, the 16-year-old running the show as the Premier League champions eased past Girona.
A first-half masterclass from the academy
The opener was pure Dowman. Collecting the ball in a pocket of space, the teenager glided between Lass Kourouma and Álex Moreno before sliding a perfectly weighted pass through for Kai Havertz. One-on-one with Paulo Gazzaniga — the former Tottenham goalkeeper — the German was never going to miss, and he rolled the ball home in the 16th minute with the calm of a man finishing the job he started in last season’s Champions League final, where he scored Arsenal’s last goal of the campaign.
Arsenal doubled their lead just past the half-hour when their other wide man made an immediate impression. Christos Tzolis, signed from Club Brugge for £34m, collected Calafiori’s pass, drifted inside Arnau Martínez and watched his effort take a deflection off Francés on its way into the net. His debut goal had been coming all half.
Five minutes of chaos after the interval
For a moment, Girona threatened to make a match of it. Five minutes into the second half, captain Arnau Martínez atoned for his earlier discomfort by rising highest to power a header home from Kim Min-Su’s corner. The home crowd stirred — and then Dowman silenced them.
Three minutes later came the moment of the evening. A penetrating pass from Myles Lewis-Skelly picked him out on the edge of the box; one touch to set himself, and a low, driven finish beyond Gazzaniga from his favoured left foot. Girona’s appeals for a free kick in the build-up were waved away by referee Marta Huerta de Aza, but no one could argue with the scoreline.
Two minutes later, the hosts’ attempts to play out from the back fell apart completely, White’s touch dropping kindly for substitute Gabriel Jesus, who swept in from close range to put the result beyond doubt. With 26 substitutions across the afternoon, the closing stages were scrappy, but the damage was done.
What it means for the champions
The most encouraging aspect for Mikel Arteta was context. Arsenal were missing five of the seven forwards who featured in the Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain, yet the omissions were barely noticeable. Dowman’s creative flair — allied to a reinvigorated Havertz — offers a compelling option in the No 10 role already occupied by captain Martin Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze, both still returning from extended post-World Cup breaks.
Lewis-Skelly, so influential in last term’s title run-in, again looked metronomic, while Tzolis showed he is more than a squad winger. After a season in which the champions’ attack took much of the blame for their wobbles, the early signs suggest it could yet be their strongest suit.
Still active in the market
Arteta, whose side have signed only Tzolis and goalkeeper Illan Meslier this summer, told reporters the club remain busy. “We are really active, trying to improve and evolve the team,” he said. “We expect to have movements in the next few weeks… we won’t sit still, and we are very ambitious in what we want to do.”
With Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior again linked with a move to north London, the transfer sub-plot will run all summer. For now, though, the loudest statement was made by a 16-year-old who barely seemed to notice the occasion. Arsenal travel to Dublin to face Real Betis on Wednesday — and Dowman has given his manager a selection headache of the very best kind.
Based on reporting by ESPN. Read the original report in full here: Arsenal rout Girona as Max Dowman stars and Christos Tzolis scores. Additional match and quotes context via Sky Sports’ match report.
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