Arsenal suffered a second successive pre-season defeat as Borussia Dortmund won 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium, leaving Mikel Arteta with several areas to address before competitive football begins.
The Gunners found themselves 2-0 down at half-time before Ethan Nwaneri and Viktor Gyokeres scored after the break. Dortmund responded to Nwaneri’s goal through Joane Gadou, while a late Gabriel Martinelli effort was ruled out as Arsenal pushed for an equaliser.
There was important context to the performance. Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze were among the senior players unavailable, while several others have only recently returned following the World Cup.
Even so, a second game in succession conceding three goals provided Arteta with plenty to analyse.
Here are three things learned from Arsenal’s defeat by Borussia Dortmund.
Myles Lewis-Skelly was asked to operate at the base of midfield alongside Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz during the opening period.
It was an experimental combination and Dortmund regularly found space when Arsenal lost possession. Felix Nmecha was able to play through the midfield for Samuele Inácio’s early opener, while Konstantinos Karetsas was given too much room before making it 2-0.
Lewis-Skelly has the technical ability to play centrally, having developed as a midfielder in Arsenal’s academy, but the role asks different questions from those he normally faces at left-back.
The absence of Rice and Zubimendi was particularly noticeable when Dortmund attacked through the middle.
That should change quickly.
Arsenal have also added Bruno Guimarães to Arteta’s midfield options, with ReadArsenal already examining the selection problem created by his arrival.
Saturday was therefore unlikely to resemble the midfield Arsenal use when the Premier League begins. It did, however, demonstrate why having a specialist controlling the centre remains so important to the way Arteta wants his side to play.
Christos Tzolis is forcing himself into the conversation
Christos Tzolis was Arsenal’s most consistent attacking threat.
The £34million summer signing created Nwaneri’s goal early in the second half, getting into the penalty area before finding the midfielder in space to reduce the deficit.
Tzolis then won the penalty which allowed Gyokeres to make it 3-2. Match coverage also highlighted his influence as Arsenal produced a much improved attacking performance after half-time. (thesun.co.uk)
Those contributions continue an encouraging pre-season.
ReadArsenal has already looked at Tzolis’ impressive start following his £34m move, and Dortmund represented another step up in opposition.
The Greece international looks comfortable receiving possession in wide areas, but his end product has been the most encouraging feature.
Arsenal have spent much of the summer discussing whether another elite left-winger is required. Tzolis is making sure Arteta at least has another serious option when that decision is made.
Saliba’s absence remains the defensive concern
Pre-season results themselves should not cause alarm, but Arsenal have now conceded six goals across defeats by Real Betis and Dortmund.
The way some of those chances have arrived is more relevant than the scorelines.
Dortmund’s opener came after Arsenal’s defensive structure was played through too easily, while Karetsas was afforded enough space to carry the ball towards goal before doubling the visitors’ advantage.
Joane Gadou’s third then came after Arsenal failed to properly deal with a set-piece situation.
Gabriel Magalhaes returning was a positive, but William Saliba’s absence continues to leave Arteta searching for his strongest defensive combination.
Cristhian Mosquera has been given significant minutes alongside Gabriel and possesses many of the qualities required to cover for Saliba. ReadArsenal explained before the game why Saliba’s injury could force Arteta into a new centre-back partnership.
That partnership still needs time.
Arsenal’s aggressive defensive line relies on pressure being applied to the ball further forward. When that pressure disappears, the centre-backs are left defending large spaces and Dortmund repeatedly looked capable of exploiting them.
There were positives in the second-half response. Nwaneri looked sharper, Tzolis was productive again and Gyokeres added another goal.
The concern for Arteta is that Arsenal have now started slowly and defended poorly in consecutive matches.
There is still time to correct that before the Premier League begins, but Manchester City in the Community Shield will provide a considerably less forgiving examination.
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