Mikel Arteta’s Dortmund verdict has put Arsenal’s defense under the spotlight after their 3-2 Emirates Cup final defeat to Borussia Dortmund. Arteta admitted his side were not their usual selves at the back.
Ethan Nwaneri and a Viktor Gyökeres penalty gave Arsenal late hope at the Emirates. Samuele Inácio, Konstantinos Karetsas and Joane Gadou had already put Dortmund out of sight, and Arsenal have now allowed six goals across their last two preseason games.
Speaking afterward, Arteta told Arsenal’s official site that he was disappointed with the result. He wanted, though, to give the performance context given who had featured and for how long.
Arteta pointed specifically to set pieces and defensive timing as the problem, saying there were spells where Arsenal were “not very recognizable” in areas the team is normally efficient in.
Arteta balanced that with praise for the attacking side of the performance. He pointed to good combinations and chances that went unconverted only because of a final pass.
The Dortmund defeat followed a 3-1 loss to Real Betis in Dublin days earlier. Arsenal have now conceded three goals in back-to-back games for the first time since a one-off 3-2 defeat to Manchester United last season.
Arsenal’s lapses are a notable spike for a side built on defensive solidity, and the timing makes it harder to dismiss. Arteta fielded close to his likely first-choice back four against Dortmund, with Gabriel Magalhães and Cristhian Mosquera at center-back and Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White at full-back.
Inacio and Karetsas both scored from space in behind that back line to put Dortmund 2-0 up before half-time. Nwaneri pulled one back early in the second half, but Gadou immediately restored the two-goal cushion from a corner.
Arsenal have conceded from a set piece in two consecutive games — before Gyökeres’s penalty made it a one-goal defeat.
Arsenal didn’t have all bad news going forward. Nwaneri pulled them a goal back after coming on. Gyökeres converted from the spot to make it a one-goal game late on, and Gabriel Martinelli had a stoppage-time effort ruled out for offside.
Christos Tzolis was arguably Arsenal’s standout performer. He set up Nwaneri’s goal, won the penalty Gyökeres converted, and showed a defensive work rate that helped limit Dortmund’s counterattacks. Tzolis’ excellence was a strong follow-up to his Arsenal arrival.
Bruno Guimarães was introduced to fans before kickoff but didn’t feature, with his move from Newcastle only completed days earlier.
Martin Ødegaard made his first appearance of the preseason since the World Cup, coming on for a 30-minute cameo. Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi were all still away and set to return to training only on the Monday after the game.
William Saliba is out for a significant spell and Jurriën Timber will miss the next few weeks, while David Raya is yet to return, leaving Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.
Arteta was working with a squad well short of full strength as Arsenal’s preseason campaign enters its final stretch.
Arsenal face Como on Wednesday in their final preseason fixture before the Community Shield against Manchester City in Cardiff the following Sunday. Arsenal has their Premier League opener against newly promoted Coventry City the Friday after that.
The Arsenal attack has largely taken care of itself this preseason, and the returning World Cup contingent should sharpen things further in midfield.
That’s exactly why the Arsenal defending stands out as the one clear problem left unsolved. There are barely two weeks before the title defense begins; it’s the area Arteta most needs sorted, not the one where his side has shown the least improvement.
Arteta’s own verdict is the clearest signal here: Arsenal’s manager isn’t dismissing this as preseason noise, he’s naming set pieces and defensive timing as specific, fixable problems.
Arsenal has two defeats, six goals conceded, and a starting back four that struggled against a talented but far-from-elite Dortmund side add up to a pattern rather than a one-off.
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Arsenal has key personnel still to return and only one more warm-up game before the season starts. The key will be how quickly Arteta tightens things up at the back. That will say more about Arsenal’s title defense than anything they’ve shown going forward this summer.
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