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Three of Arsenal’s four summer signings were on show during the 1-0 Emirates Cup defeat to Monaco. Mathieu Debuchy and Alexis Sanchez both made their first starts for the Gunners while Calum Chambers was retained at centre-back from Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Benfica, but in the end they were powerless to avoid defeat as Radamel Falcao sealed the win for the French side.
Valencia went on to claim the 2014 Emirates Cup via their 3-1 win over the Portuguese side, who finished bottom of the group having departed London with many more questions than answers ahead of the new season. For Arsenal, the result won’t be too disheartening, especially as the Gunners’ faithful got their first good look at the majority of their new signings.
With David Ospina yet to make his debut due to injury, Sanchez, Debuchy and Chambers all took centre stage to show a taste of what they can over this season. So how did each get on on Sunday afternoon?
Mathieu Debuchy
Debuchy looked reliable at the back, and he’ll need to be if he is to fill the large vacancy left by Bacary Sagna. The £12m summer addition perhaps didn’t maraud forward as much as Sagna used to, but that won’t worry Arsene Wenger as he looks to the French international to justify his faith in making a move for him. The former Newcastle defender did well to cut off Radamel Falcao when he was through on goal, although his strong shoulder-to-shoulder challenge on the Colombian could’ve seen a penalty awarded on another day. Pushed forward in the second half when Arsenal were searching for an equaliser, but all in all a solid days’ work as he left the field in the closing stages.
Calum Chambers
One of the more impressive players over the weekend, Chambers was one of only two players to retain his place in the Arsenal starting line-up along with Aaron Ramsey. Made a crucial interception early in the game as Falcao primed himself to fire home, and managed to get up the other end to see a first-time effort from a corner travel over the bar. Handled himself well, especially given his belying years, and Arsenal fans are certainly going to enjoy watching the 19-year-old develop at the Emirates.
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Alexis Sanchez
Sanchez could take the Emirates by storm this season, and that’s no exaggeration. The Chilean looks to be a wonderfully talented player, blessed with speed in abundance and a physicality that defies his wingers’ frame. His first touch, as he showed regularly throughout the match, borders on the sublime, but the key factor will be how his team-mates choose to utilise his talents best. At times he looked a little stranded up top with just Giroud to accompany him, but once he moved to play through the middle after the break he seemed to come to the fore. Sanchez departed midway through the second period, and while there were no clear-cut chances to write home about, he showed enough to suggest that he will dazzle the home crowd throughout the season.
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