Arsenal faced Hangzhou Greentown in our second and final game of the Asia Tour. This trip was aimed as a warm-up for next season as well a commercial scheme – I am sure that plenty of money will be made thanks to our voyage to the Far East.

At the very least, it allowed Asian fans to get a taste of the Arsenal, which may be a rare treat for many of the fans out there.

The game started with Greentown on the front foot, and midway in the second half, Hangzhou had had several shots to Arsenal’s zero. The starting eleven were a mix of first team players and fringe players:

You could argue that only two of these players will be in Arsenal’s first eleven next season: RvP and Sagna (assuming Arshavin is on the bench and Nasri leaves). However, even without such assumptions, this was a relatively weak starting eleven.

Nasri kept coming deep to receive the ball, and he did quite well in that role. It was almost as if he were trying to prove something to the fans the way he kept racing towards the ball… can’t imagine what that’s about! Rosicky looked lively but lacked end product at times. Arshavin and RvP were generally starved of the ball, but Vela wasn’t. The Mexican was very hit and miss. His first touch often let him down, but he did show some glimpses of skill. It wouldn’t be harsh to say that Vela was often the end of our attacks in the first half.

Hangzhou scored from a free kick – surprising isn’t it? The ball was whipped in and scraped the head of one of their players. The ball looked to be falling into Mannone’s arms, but for some reason our keeper chested the ball back into the danger zone. Vazquez put his foot through the ball and it rolled past our Italian shot stopper. Could Mannone be another error-prone keeper? I hope not.

As the half wore on, Arsenal grew in confidence and our flowing game started to work. Our equaliser came as Robin played a one-two with Arshavin, who’s return pass was a sumptuous flick over the opposition defence. Van Persie’s shot was saved, but Vela managed to force the ball in on the rebound.

The second half yielded a completely different team for Arsenal:

This team is far closer to what I expect Wenger to put out against Newcastle. And many of the players had a good half. The defence was solid, despite the fact that Hangzhou constantly counter attacked after spells of Arsenal pressure. The midfield was superb – Wilshere, Ramsey and Song really clicked. I am excited to see that trio next season. The front three were okay – Chamakh was tidy if not mind blowing, and Miyaichi looked skillful and lively. Walcott was a mystery – he made the right runs and controlled the ball well, but his finishing was poor. He must have had more than five decent opportunities, each of which were sent wide or saved. After his comments regarding his desire to play up front, the timing of this game could not have been more ironic. He wants to be a forward, and yet he couldn’t even score against Hangzhou Greentown, who finished fourth in the Chinese Super League last season.

The chances in the second half came thick and fast, but despite some great positions in front of goal, Arsenal failed to score the winner.