Arsenal trumped up Sevilla 6-0 last year to be crowned champions of the friendly cup for the sixth time while Monaco finished as second runners-up in the year 2014 which was the only time they have ever made an appearance in the tournament. A few problems have arisen in the Arsenal squad as their new signing Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber amongst others gel up with the other teammates. A few eyebrows were raised when the Gunners succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against their arch-rivals Manchester United in a friendly in the United States. However, Arsenal cut out the individual errors that resulted in that defeat and bounced back to beat La Liga champions Barcelona a few days later. 

Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandes, however, took issue with Arsenal in their friendly match claiming that the Gunners took the game with the intensity of a UEFA Champions League match. This comes as little surprise, however, given that the Gunners are gearing up to challenge for the English Premier League in the coming season given the fact that they felt the pain of letting go of their hold on the title last season as they had stayed at the top of the table for a quit sometime last season before Manchester City elbowed them out in the last days. They are returning back to the Champions League which is the European apex tournament when it comes to club competition after they had been absent for seven years. 

The Gunners will, however, be looking for a seventh Emirates Cup crown before the Champions League and Premier League duties return. Another silverware will be in the line for Arsenal too as they battle it out with Manchester City for the community shield at Wembley Stadium. Following a turbulent campaign last season, Monaco will not be in any European competitions next season. The Ligue 1 powerhouse were forced to labor for a sixth-place finish following defensive deficiencies which allowed them to suffer 58 goals while they themselves found the back of the net only 70 times. They had a miserable stretch toward the end of the season which saw them only win one of their last seven games losing their final three in a row. 

Despite the fact that Monaco finished one place below Arsenal in the 2014 Emirates Cup competition, they took pride in defeating the Gunners 1-0 that year courtesy of a strike by Radamel Falcao. It is worth noting that they dumped Arsene Wenger's men out of the UEFA Champions League competition in the year that followed on away goals rule as they had tied 3-3 in the round of 16 elimination stages. Football fanatics across the globe await to see in whose hands will the Emirates Cup fall, will it remain in Arsenal's hands or will they hand it over to Monaco? 

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(Image: Arsenal.com)