Arsenal suffered a second consecutive pre-season defeat ahead of the start of their Premier League title defence as clinical Borussia Dortmund won the Emirates Cup with a 3-2 victory in north London.
New signing Bruno Guimaraes was unveiled to the Arsenal fans before kick-off and there was a party atmosphere as the Gunners returned to the Emirates for the first time since lifting the Premier League title in May.
Captain Martin Odegaard returned for the first time since the World Cup and Gabrel Magalhaes started in defence, but sharp finishes from the visitors’ Samuele Inacio and Konstantinos Karetsas left Arsenal two goals down before half-time.
Arsenal were beaten 3-1 by Real Betis In Dublin on Wednesday and quickly found themselves trailing by the same scoreline when Joane Gadou bundled in from a corner moments after Ethan Nwaneri had pulled one back.
Viktor Gyokeres gave Arsenal some late hope from the penalty spot before Arteta made further changes, introducing several players from the club’s academy. Gabriel Martinelli had the ball in the net in stoppage time but was given offside.
Arteta’s team will be back in action against Como on Wednesday, their final pre-season fixture before facing Manchester City in the Community Shield in Cardiff next Sunday and Coventry City in their Premier League opener the following Friday.
How concerning is Arsenal’s defence right now?
Sure, it’s only pre-season, but by their own high standards Arsenal’s defensive performances in their last two outings is a concern ahead of the new campaign. Arsenal only conceded three goals once last season, in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United, but have now shipped in three in back-to-back games following defeats to Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund.
The worry for Mikel Arteta is that he had what could be his starting back-four in place against Dortmund. While David Raya is yet to return, Arsenal started with Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera at centre-back and Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White at full-back. With William Saliba out for a significant spell and Jurrien Timber to miss the next few weeks, that’s as strong as Arsenal will be able to go over the first few games of the season – will it force a move into the market?
Arsenal’s usual intensity should return once the real business kicks off. Dortmund were clinical in attack in the first half but Arsenal also afforded the visitors too much room. First, Samuele Inacio slipped off the back off Gabriel and had the run on Mosquera as he fired the early opener past Kepa Arrizabalaga. The 18-year-old winger Karetsas then curled a brilliant strike beyond Kepa to double Arsenal’s lead, but again the defending from Arteta’s side left too much space around the box.
Real Betis also scored a stunner in midweek, but this was also the second game in a row where Arsenal conceded from a corner. After the near-post delivery was not cleared, Joane Gadou scored in a sloppy and avoidable third for Dortmund. The fact that Arsenal switched off just a couple of minutes after Ethan Nwaneri had pulled one back will also be a further source of frustration. Arsenal’s defensive record was outstanding last season but it needs to sharper up as the new campaign approaches.
Christos Tzolis takes his chance?
With the news that Vinicius Jr will be staying at Real Madrid, there may be an opportunity on the left side of Arsenal’s attack for new arrival Christos Tzolis after all. Certainly, the 24-year-old Greek has hit the ground running in his bid to replace Leandro Trossard’s attacking impact in north London and he produced another couple of decisive attacking contributions despite the defeat to Dortmund.
This was a bright display from the former Club Brugge attacker. He combined an impressive defensive workrate, with some key moments of tracking back to cut out Dortmund counter-attacks, with an ability to beat his defender and create space around the box in the attacking third. A couple of flashes, in particular, showcased an ability to get the ball from out of his feet and deliver into the box.
He set up Ethan Nwaneri’s goal in the second half with a sharp pull-back, then was in the right place to pop up in the box and win Arsenal’s penalty – converted by Victor Gyokeres. Tzolis also took a several of Arsenal’s set-pieces after Martin Odegaard’s 30-minute cameo was up, only that may not continue once he also has Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and even Bruno Guimaraes ahead of him in the queue.
Still, this was another encouraging display from Arsenal’s only attacking recruit of the transfer window. While the Gunners are reported to be turning their attention to other star names – such as highjacking Liverpool’s bid for Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola – Tzolis is currently winning the race against Gabriel Martinelli to start the season as the piece alongside Gyokeres and Saka in attack.
What next for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta?
Speaking after the 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, Mikel Arteta confirmed he will have all his squad together on Monday for the first time since the World Cup. That means the likes of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice will be back in training, as well as Spain’s Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi. They will not be rushed back into action ahead of Arsenal’s final pre-season test against Como on Wednesday, but Bruno Guimaraes could be available for his debut ahead of Saturday’s Community Shield against Manchester City.
