It might only be pre-season but it’s never pleasant to lose, is it?
Sevilla gave Arsenal a harder time in the Gunners’ second Emirates Cup clash than Benfica did on Saturday.
Although we still won the cup, it would have been slightly more reassuring to go out with two wins.
Still, this is what pre-season is for, ironing out the kinks and figuring out where we need to improve.
Hopefully, Arsene Wenger and Steve Bould can go back to the drawing board and teach our team how to defend again, since that seems to be an area we continue to have issues in.
On the plus side, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was brilliant and Alexandre Lacazette scored his first goal in front of the Emirates crowd – his second of pre-season. Although there seems to be a feeling among Gooners that he could and should be scoring more.
So, what else did we learn from Arsenal’s 2-1 loss against Sevilla? Apart from the fact that we need to improve before facing Chelsea on 6 August…
5. Mohamed Elneny is an alright centre-back… but not great
I’m not completely sold on the idea of Elneny at centre-back permanently. He’s not the tallest (5-ft-11) or strongest.
While his passing has been great throughout pre-season, it’s not his role.
I fear he won’t be able to play well there in the Premier League, since he’ll be going up against considerably bigger, stronger strikers.
However, he’s doing better than most expected him to.
4. Alexandre Lacazette has (maybe) been told not to shoot
Considering the former Lyon forward had the best conversation rate in Europe last season (38.89%), it’s unusual that he doesn’t appear to be shooting and is instead looking for the pass.
While it’s complete speculation, Arsene Wenger does seem to have a word with players about shooting unless they’re absolutely certain, which does appear to be what’s happened with Lacazette in pre-season.
Saying this, it’s still way too early to judge and I’m looking forward to seeing him play more. The forward did score, after all, albeit a definite poacher’s goal, so he’s proven he’s capable.
Not that he should be having to prove much at all this early on in his Arsenal career.
3. Arsenal can’t defend
#arsenal vs #SevillaFC GOAL!! Of correa, *49th min 1-0 in favor of @SevillaFC pic.twitter.com/RgBIi9z50e
— Kicks&Tackles (@KNT_football) July 30, 2017
On Saturday against Benfica; on Sunday against Sevilla. It baffles me why Arsenal can’t seem to learn to defend when it’s so glaringly obvious how terrible they are… I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Whether it’s just watching the ball as the opposition weave in and out, getting caught too high off the pitch, or simply giving them too much space, Arsenal will always find a way to look stupid.
2. The Emirates Cup is harder than it looks!
1. Community Shield against Chelsea will be huge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F57uvaHArcM
On 6 August, Arsenal face Chelsea again in the Community Shield after beating them in the FA Cup final.
Last time we met in Bejing, Arsenal lost 3-0 and given our pretty disappointing performance against Sevilla, all eyes will be on how the Gunners respond against last season’s Premier League champions.
Although the Community Shield is still a friendly, it’s still an indicator of where the team is and how we stack up against our rivals. If the match on 6 August doesn’t go well, it could be back to the drawing board for Arsene Wenger.