Arsenal vs. Lyon: Lessons Learned from Emirates Cup

Premier League side Arsenal trounced Ligue 1 opponents Olympique Lyonnais 6-0 in their first game of the Emirates Cup on Saturday, moving to the top of the table in the two-day tournament.

Olivier Giroud, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alex Iwobi, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla all found the back of the net as the Gunners tore into their French opponents, especially in the first half, with their pace and runs from midfield too much for Lyon to handle.

As we head from pre-season toward competitive action, here are some pointers and lessons both sides can take from the fixture ahead of Day 2 on Sunday.

Wenger's Best-Suited Pairing

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Arsene Wenger has several midfield options and combinations at his disposal, but the one he started the match against Lyon with for the centre looks his best-balanced and most technically adept pairing.

Francis Coquelin's growth in confidence and importance last season only highlights the need for a team to have a mobile destructive force in place to help out those creative players, but Aaron Ramsey alongside him also provides drive and industry, passing range and willingness to track and tackle—combined with vertical penetration from deep.

Ramsey's link-up with the front two or three means it doesn't matter so much that Ozil, superb in the first half in particular, doesn't get into the box or run beyond the striker because the unexpected, difficult-to-track run comes from his team-mate instead. It's a great system for the Gunners, and it worked to perfection in this friendly.

To Giroud or Not to Giroud?

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Olivier Giroud remains a somewhat divisive figure in Arsenal's attack. Ultimately, whether or not he needs to be upgraded (in the eyes of the fans, just as much as the manager) or have better competition in the squad depends on what you expect out of him.

The Frenchman holds up the ball, lets Ozil, Ramsey and others play off him, attacks the box from deep and can compete aerially. He also has the tendency to be inconsistent in the extreme with his shooting, isn't fast-paced like most of the rest of the attack and will never be a striker who is of the all-round class—week in, week out—of the likes of Sergio Aguero or Diego Costa, who lead the attacks of title rivals. If that's indeed what Arsenal aspire to, that is.

Giroud will lead the line well and score goals but will be strangely ineffective against some teams too. Unless the attack is led by one of the game's elite, that will always be the case. Options and variation are always the keys to finding a way past different defences, rather than a simple upgrade on what is clearly Wenger's first pick to play the No. 9 role.

Nothing but Injuries and Sloppiness for Lyon

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Lyon started fairly neatly in possession and initially competed well with their midfield diamond harassing Arsenal's central pairing—but that lasted about 10 minutes.

The Gunners soon started to dominate, Lyon lost Clement Grenier to another injury and then they were simply carved apart by the pace of Arsenal's attack inside the channels. Maxime Gonalons also appeared to take a knock later in the game, though he did continue to play.

Per Andy Brassell on Twitter, another absence for Grenier could force the side into the transfer market:

"Main worry for Lyon not the score - Grenier went off holding left thigh & in some distress. Likely to intensify need for another midfielder."

What will Lyon take from this match? Nothing but a lot of lessons on how they need to improve quickly—they play Paris Saint-Germain one week from now in the French Super Cup.

Tournament Success Nice but Meaningless

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Arsene Wenger will know and Arsenal fans ought to: Winning the Emirates Cup this weekend will be pleasing but largely irrelevant in terms of how the season will go overall. With nine points from the first fixture, the Gunners are big favourites to win on home turf, but even success in the Community Shield won't really matter.

Beating Lyon gives them a good chance of taking their own tournament for a fourth time and has certainly boosted optimism and hopes on social media. But the truth is that Lyon were well under-par just as much as Arsenal themselves played well. Their depth and consistency will be tested once again when they face Wolfsburg on Sunday.

What really matters is what happens once the Premier League gets started, with Wenger having to ensure that the Gunners aren't already out of the title race by the turn of the year this time. For one weekend at least, though, it's perfectly fine for the club to bask in a job well done and some intriguing and entertaining individual performances.

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