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Norwich City (0) 2 - 6 (4) Arsenal

Carrow Road, Monday 4th August 1997

Friendly

Scorers:
   Eadie 64                             Wright 6, 28, 58
   Adams 89                             Grimandi 15, 46
                                        Bergkamp 17

4 Aug 1997 

ATT: 10,950

Arsenal:  Seaman, Garde, Grimandi, Bould, Winterburn, Parlour, Vieira,
Petit, Overmars, Bergkamp, Wright.

SUBS: Upson for Winterburn (45), Platt for Petit (45), Anelka for
Bergkamp (61), Boa Morte for Wright (67), Hughes for Overmars (67),
Marshall for Garde (67).
Arsenal made light work of Norwich in their final pre-season friendly. A hat-trick from Ian Wright, 2 goals from Gilles Grimandi and a clinically taken free-kick from Dennis Bergkamp made sure that Arsenal had the game won comfortably inside the hour.

Their first-half display showed all the synergy and assurance that was lacking in their last game against PSV Eindhoven. Epitomising these qualities was Bergkamp who began the game in lively fashion. Indeed, it took only 6 minutes for Bergkamo to open up the Norwich defence to release Overmars down the inside left channel. Overmars was denied by Marshall, in the Norwich goal but Wright, as ever, was on hand for the rebound and the first of his hat-trick of well-taken goals.

Arsenal made sure that the space that was afforded to them by the First Division side on the well prepared surface was not wasted. They attacked again and again with pace and Bergkamp's combination of a superb first touch and 20:20 vision ensured a Norwich nightmare in the first half.

On 15 minutes, Bergkamp was left unmarked from a corner, again Marshall denied the first shot but this time it was Grimandi who followed up the rebound. Two minutes later Overmars won a free-kick with his exceptional pace and then calmly rolled the ball to Bergkamp who made no mistake in firing the ball into the goal off the far post. This time Marshall was helpless.

The defining moment of the first half came perhaps when Sutch, the Norwich midfielder, passed firmly into the advertising board. Ian Wright then made it 4-0 with a breathtaking finish. Again it was Bergkamp who sliced open the Norwich defence, his shot was saved, but the ball floated up for Wright to finish the move with a stunning bicycle kick into the bottom right hand corner.

Arsenal made two changes for the second half but it was business as usual as Grimandi scored from a corner with a free header. This goal triggered a delightful passage of play for Arsenal which included a snappy move between Bergkamp, Overmars and Wright with Wright unfortunately shooting over. That spurred ironic chants of 'Boring, Boring Arsenal' from the away supporters. Indeed. On 58, Arsenal underlined their superiority when Platt released Bergkamp down the inside left channel, he squared the ball to Wright for a delicious chip over the grounded and by now, bemused Marshall.

All that remained now was for Arsenal's young guns to have a run out, marshalled by the experience of Platt and Bould. All credit to Norwich as they fought back with a well taken goal from Darren Eadie and a free-kick from Neil Adams but by that time Arsenal's first choice strike force had done their work for the night. Arsene Wenger might be slightly worried by the fact that his defence wasn't tested too strenuously and that when they were, Eadie made a habit of finding space down the left. Their real test however, along with the rest of this transformed Arsenal side, begins on Saturday against you know who.

report by Mark Denley

Since this report arrived it has emerged that an injury picked up by Grimandi could be quite serious. He is expected to miss at least the first two matches of the season. With Adams suspended for those two matches (because of his sending off in the last match at Derby last season) and Keown also injured, we could be seeing Bould and Marshall starting on Saturday. However in one of the recent friendlies Wenger favoured dropping Petit back into defence rather than bringing Marshall on, a decision that by all accounts did not please Marshall greatly. There's also Remi Garde, and even youngster Matthew Upson could be in the frame after impressing in pres-season. It won't be our first choice back-line on Saturday, but it should still be a good one.

Rupe.

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