Arsenal defeated Sydney FC 2-0 on Thursday, thanks to goals from Per Mertesacker and Alexandre Lacazette.

Pre-season is a difficult time to judge players. Few players are fully fit, and the standard of opposition can often be questionable at best.

Nonetheless, it was great to not only finally see the Arsenal back in action, but also playing well against A-League champions Sydney FC.

A crowd of 80,000 was in attendance to see a number of the Arsenal youngsters put on a show, as well as witness Alexandre Lacazette’s first goal for the club.

Just as there were stand-out performers, there were a few who didn’t have the best game and won’t have convinced Arsene Wenger to play them more.

Petr Cech 6

Looking splendid in Arsenal’s very pink new goalkeeper kit, Cech had very little to do as Arsenal played most of the game in Sydney’s half. He had one save to make midway through the first half, but was otherwise a spectator before he was replaced at half-time.

Per Mertesacker 6

It’s great to see the BFG playing football again as he demonstrated once again that despite not having much experience in a back three, he’s plenty comfortable there. He showed that he can still read the game very well, but was beaten for pace Sydney’s best chance of the half. Granted, at his age, I think we can expect that to happen from time to time.

Krystian Bielik 6

The Polish defender had little do throughout his time on the pitch, but was confident on the ball and played a number of good passes into Arsenal’s midfielders.

Sead Kolasinac 6

Arsenal’s new big Bosnian bruiser was real presence on the pitch and put in a strong performance as the left sided centre back. Bar one occasion where he misjudged the flight of the ball and missed an important header, he had a strong debut, and was good on the ball.

Cohen Bramall 6

If the youngster was nervous about making his debut in front of 80,000 people, he didn’t show it. While there signs that his passing needs a bit more work, Bramall was a threat in behind with his pace and put in a couple of dangerous crosses.

Reiss Nelson 8

It may only be a friendly, but it’s hard not to get excited when a young player performs as well as Nelson did. Despite playing in an unfamiliar wing-back role, Nelson was too quick and skillful for the Sydney defence, and was a constant menace down the right hand side. We look forward to seeing what he can do in his more preferred attacking role.

Francis Coquelin 6

The Frenchman was typically aggressive and energetic, but also wayward with his passing. Didn’t get booked, which is always a bonus.

Joe Willock 8

Have Arsenal kept the better Willock brother? It’s too early to tell, but signs suggest that this Willock is a very exciting player. Positive with his passing and slippery with his dribbling, Willock had a strong performance at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield.

Mesut Ozil 7

As he typically is, Ozil was a strong creative presence for Arsenal and was able to link-up well with his fellow attackers, especially Nelson. He created a number of chances during the game. We look forward to seeing him paired with Lacazette.

Theo Walcott 4

If Walcott wanted to use pre-season to convince Wenger to play him, he’s off to a bad start. His finishing was poor all game as he squandered numerous opportunities, including an open goal. He’ll certainly have to sharpen up.

Danny Welbeck 5

As hard working as always, but not the sharpest in the final third. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt over the penalty miss, though.

Emi Martinez 7

He had more to do than Cech and did it well. A couple of sharp stops from him helped preserve Arsenal’s clean sheet.

Mohamed Elneny 5

Played as middle centre back when he came on. Almost cost Arsenal a goal with a poor backpass towards the end of the game.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles 5

Played as a right sided centre back when he came on. He wasn’t tested much but was a bit off with his passing.

Nacho Monreal 6

Monreal completed the defensive trio and had an untroubled twenty minutes on the pitch.

Eddie Nketiah 6

The striker found himself at right wing back for the final twenty minutes. He came close to scoring with a shot that hit the post.

Donyell Malen 6

Played as the left wing back for Arsenal late on. He was lively with the ball and looked to run at defenders.

Granit Xhaka 6

Took over for Coquelin in the heart of the midfield, but wasn’t overly involved.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 6

Filled in as a central midfielder and had a couple of strong bursts through the middle of the pitch.

Alex Iwobi 7

Iwobi played like he had a point to prove by being positive on the ball and trying to make things happen. Set-up the second goal of the night with a good run and pass across the penalty area.

Alexandre Lacazette 8

He appeared. He scored. What more could you ask for? He played a bit deeper than he will during the season, but pressed well, tried to create chances for his team mates and, most importantly, scored a goal. Couldn’t ask for more for such a short cameo.

Olivier Giroud 6

Not much fell his way in the final twenty minutes, but did offer good movement during the build-up to the second goal.