Max Porter reflects on pre-season opener

Arsenal Under-21s coach Max Porter shared his pride in his young side after they opened their pre-season campaign with a 2-2 draw against National League outfit Boreham Wood.

Despite conceding inside the first minute, goals from Alex Marciniak and Maalik Hashi turned the game in Arsenal’s favour before the hosts equalised late on.

On the overall performance…

"I'm very, very proud. As everyone saw, we had an extremely young team out there, especially by the end of the game. Matches like these are a real test.

“Boreham Wood had a fantastic season last year after their promotion push, and I thought our lads stood up to the challenge really well. We lacked a bit of physicality compared to them, but we stuck to our principles and tried to play our way.

“It wasn’t the ideal type of game for us. We’d prefer to dominate possession more, but with such a mixed group, that was always going to be difficult. Overall though, I was really proud of the mentality, resilience, and togetherness they showed."

On pre-season preparations…

“Pre-season has been interesting. When we returned, we had the news about Mehmet leaving. He did an incredible job, and we all feel fortunate to have worked with him. Whoever steps into that role has big shoes to fill.

“But we’ve got a brilliant staff in the Under-21s, and with the leadership of Luke Hobbs and Per Mertesacker, things have remained seamless. There have been some changes, but the way the staff have handled it has allowed us to continue giving the players the best possible platform.

“It’s a credit to the team that we’ve had some of our players join the first-team group in La Manga for the first time. We’re hoping they’ve impressed Mikel and the staff. That’s always the aim. Meanwhile, we’re focused on continuing to develop the rest of the group here.”

On academy players stepping up…

“We’re proud of all our boys, not just as players but as people. That’s a big part of what we do here. We aim to develop them holistically, because football careers can be short and unpredictable. Injuries, setbacks, so many things can happen.

"Making it at the top level, at Arsenal, fighting for the Premier League and Champions League, takes something special. There are no guarantees. But we can give them every tool possible to grow, both on and off the pitch.

"Last year, we had several players make their debuts in the cup competitions. That’s down to the trust and opportunities the first-team manager and staff gave them. Now, we have to keep pushing because we want to give them the best shot at long-term success.”

On pre-season goals…

“The aim in pre-season is always the same. Avoid injuries and keep everyone available. As they say, the best ability is availability.

“On top of that, we want them to be as fit as possible to play our way. We want to press high, dominate possession, make angles, create movement, and you have to be incredibly fit to do that. Technically and tactically, we’re pushing them every day.

“Whether it's going on loan for senior football or stepping up with the first team, each player’s path is different. But our goal is the same. We want to help them improve as much as possible so they’re ready to have their best season yet.”

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