Arsenal conceded three goals for the second game in a row, after the 3-1 defeat to Real Betis and the 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. The scoreline mattered less than what kept happening inside those games. Arsenal were cut open in open play, then punished again from a corner, and Gabriel Martinelli still needed a late offside call to deny a stoppage-time equaliser.

Arsenal's defensive issues

The corner goal summed up the problem. Joane Gadou bundled in during a scramble after the near-post delivery was not cleared, which is the sort of lapse Arsenal cannot keep shrugging off, even in pre-season. They have now conceded three in back-to-back games, and this one followed the same pattern of loose marking and slow reactions that showed up against Betis.

There was attacking quality in the match, but Arsenal's own structure looked too open for comfort. Arteta said the players were fuming after the Real Betis defeat, which is a really good sign. Ben Knapton put the wider view more bluntly: "It's absolutely not the be-all and end-all, but you want to win every game. Arteta said the players were fuming after the Real Betis defeat, which is a really good sign."

Dortmund's attacking edge

Christos Tzolis was at the centre of the best work for Dortmund. He set up Ethan Nwaneri's goal with a sharp pull-back and later won the penalty that Viktor Gyökeres converted. His recent 7.2 rating adds to the sense that he is hitting form, and he has one goal and one assist across the listed five games.

Konstantinos Karetsas was even sharper. He drew four fouls and completed two progressive carries in a man-of-the-match display, backing up the 8.2 rating he posted in one of his recent Champions League appearances. That is the cleaner evidence of why Dortmund looked more dangerous whenever they moved forward with pace and purpose.

Arsenal leave pre-season with the attacking moments still there, but the defensive work remains the bigger issue. Martinelli's late effort being ruled offside spared them a stoppage-time equaliser, but it did not hide another game in which they allowed three and kept making life too easy for the opposition. The next test is to fix that before the season starts.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →