Well, what a funny old game that was yesterday! At half-time, I was wondering why on earth I paid £5.99 to watch it but thankfully it was made worthwhile in the end.
Although I appreciate its pre-season and some of the players that featured may not even be at the club in a few weeks' time, it was a reminder, especially during the first 45, that certain positions must be strengthened before the window closes.
For me, the attack is the least of my concerns at the moment. Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah showed exactly what they can do next season, Emile Smith Rowe was positive in patches, Gabriel Martinelli was as dangerous as ever and Marquinhos looked promising after coming on.
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On top of those names, we have Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard yet to return, while Fabio Vieira is also awaiting his debut. On paper, the frontline is looking good. However, if there was one area which gave me a bit of a scare, it was the backline.
17-year-old Reuell Walters looked the most composed at times, and that rings alarm bells when you have the likes of Hector Bellerin, Kieran Tierney and Pablo Mari alongside you. To be fair to Tierney, it was his first game since undergoing knee surgery in April so rustiness can be expected. But again, it reiterates the need for solid competition and support at left-back.
I don't think it's wrong to say Nuno Tavares showed glimpses of what he's capable of last season, but the lack of experience certainly showed through more often than not.
The links to Lisandro Martinez and Oleksandr Zinchenko are hopefully a sign that Mikel Arteta feels the same about this, while reported loan interest in Tavares can hopefully lead to a positive outcome for him and his development.
Speaking of Martinez, yesterday was a prime example of exactly why he's being looked at. I mean no disrespect to our players of course, but Mari didn't do himself any favours at left centre-back. He got caught out defensively far too many times and his lack of pace made it easy for the opposition to run in behind.
As we know, Martinez reads the game well and possesses greater speed due to him being on the smaller side compared to your typical defender. His technical ability and composure on the ball also make him the perfect fit for our style of play. Whether or not we can secure his services remains to be seen, though it's encouraging to know he's being looked at.
Last but not least, right-back. Don't get me wrong, it was quite nice to see Hector Bellerin back in Arsenal colours, but just because it's nice doesn't mean it will help you win games. Unfortunately, as I've said before, Bellerin's time at the club is up and I think he's made that pretty clear already with his desire to return to Real Betis.
Bellerin isn't really the sole reason why I've included right-back in here, but just like the other two positions, it's more of a reminder that the options available aren't too convincing. Cedric Soares struggles for consistency far too much for someone who has several years of Premier League and international experience, so that too is concerning.
It's obviously important to remember that we'll have Takehiro Tomiyasu returning soon and hopefully he'll be on the plane to the U.S. next week, but as is the case with Tierney, his absence significantly highlights the dip in quality on the pitch.
Despite this, the club may already have a long-term solution to prevent any unnecessary spending. Ben White and William Saliba are both capable of filling in at right-back when required, so perhaps that's the route to go down moving forward, let's see.
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