Arsenal have "lingering defensive issues" ahead of final pre-season friendly of the summer vs. Como

By Ben Knapton | 10 Aug 2026 18:45, Last updated: 10 Aug 2026 18:46

Following Arsenal's 3-2 decision to Borussia Dortmund successful pre-season, Sports Mole's Site Coordinator Ben Knapton discusses Sunday's fixture astatine the Emirates Stadium.

Ben Knapton, Site Coordinator: "Very frustrating for Arsenal"

Just similar the Community Shield, if we had won the Emirates Cup it would beryllium a large trophy; due to the fact that we mislaid it, it's a wholly inconsequential friendly. 

The show itself, Arsenal were the ascendant unit throughout, surely successful presumption of the wide crippled state. But that was different match, conscionable similar the Real Betis one, wherever the antiaircraft absences of Saliba and Timber were good and genuinely felt. 

The Betis nonaccomplishment was much owed to idiosyncratic mistakes from Kepa and Kai Havertz. Breaking down the goals: the archetypal extremity for Dortmund was a really slick move down the right-hand broadside with Silva and Nmecha involved, past done to Inacio. 

Cristhian Mosquera gets caught by that blindside run, which Inacio spots and Mosquera doesn't. It's a superb finish. The 2nd extremity from Karetsas is conscionable idiosyncratic brilliance. 

He was linked with Arsenal rather a spot past year, showing them a small of what they're missing retired on. Gabriel could maybe have closed him down a spot more, but it was his archetypal commencement since the World Cup, truthful helium was going to beryllium a small rusty. 

The 3rd goal, Arsenal person present conceded from acceptable pieces against some Girona and Real Betis, and again it was a spot of a messiness wrong the punishment area. 

The players haven't played with each different before, and it's an unfamiliar goalkeeper. Meyer made a truly bully prevention from the archetypal effort, but Dortmund conscionable bundled it home. 

It was a messiness defensively again, and different crippled that highlighted that Arsenal should ideally spell to the marketplace to motion different defender. A batch of radical are saying this shows wherefore Arsenal need more cover, due to the fact that Mosquera got caught retired for that archetypal goal. 

Marli Salmon, inactive lone 16, made a really good tackle connected Guirassy successful the 2nd half, but you cannot expect him to beryllium filling William Saliba's boots. 

At the different end, Odegaard did commencement but lone got 30 minutes, arsenic Arteta has been doing throughout pre-season with players coming backmost from the World Cup. He couldn't really impact proceedings that much. 

Dowman tried his best, but he's had amended days; his decision-making was a small disconnected present and there, but he's 16, truthful he'll larn from it. Tzolis was Arsenal's brightest spark, which was promising. 

A bully cutback for Nwaneri, who couldn't miss, and past helium won the punishment for Gyokeres to convert. To beryllium just to Borussia Dortmund, they were aggressive, had a bully structure, and ever looked threatening going forward. 

It was precise frustrating for Arsenal to person that last-minute extremity from Martinelli disallowed. Whether it was really offside oregon not, we'll ne'er know. 

It looked precise tight, and with VAR that would person been 1 you'd walk 3 oregon 4 minutes trying to fig out. Arsenal did triumph the punishment shootout successful the end, truthful it was fundamentally a gully successful my eyes alternatively than a defeat. 

It's much minutes successful the legs, which is good, and we've got much players backmost from the World Cup successful clip for the Community Shield if not this game. But it was different lucifer that highlighted immoderate lingering antiaircraft issues.