Arsenal’s defeat reveals the tantalising possibilities of Arteta’s new midfield
Just under three months after that unforgettable night in May, Arsenal returned to the Emirates Stadium as Premier League champions.
There was no trophy to lift this time and no victory to celebrate. Borussia Dortmund won an entertaining pre-season friendly 3-2, exposing some of the rustiness that has characterised Arsenal’s preparations. Yet the afternoon still offered a glimpse of why there is so much excitement about the season ahead.
Before kick-off, Bruno Guimaraes walked onto the pitch for the first time as an Arsenal player, greeted by a booming chorus of “Bruno!” from the home support.
It was a moment Arsenal supporters had waited a long time to see. Four and a half years after the club decided against signing him from Lyon, Guimaraes has finally arrived—and he joins a midfield overflowing with possibilities.
Mikel Arteta highlighted the Brazilian’s versatility, ball-winning instincts, speed of progression and ability to break into the penalty area. In other words, Arsenal have not signed a specialist. They have acquired a midfielder capable of changing his role according to the opposition and the players around him.
That flexibility could prove invaluable.
Guimaraes can operate as the deepest midfielder, but restricting him to a conventional holding role would waste some of his best qualities. He can win possession, escape pressure, accelerate attacks and arrive late in the box. He is aggressive without the ball and adventurous with it.
The intriguing question is not simply where Guimaraes plays. It is what his arrival allows Arsenal’s other midfielders to become.
Martin Odegaard provided a partial answer on Sunday.
The Arsenal captain was given only 30 minutes following his post-World Cup holiday, but immediately brought greater imagination to a team that had struggled to play through Dortmund with any fluency.
Odegaard threaded passes behind the defence for Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Max Dowman to chase. He was secure when Arsenal needed control and incisive when an opportunity presented itself. Brief though his appearance was, he looked much more like the player who illuminated the World Cup with Norway than the one who sometimes struggled to impose himself during the earlier stages of last season.
How Arteta deploys him will be fascinating.
During Arsenal’s title run-in, Odegaard was often pushed into a more advanced No 10 position, combining with Eberechi Eze around the penalty area. For Norway, however, he excelled in a deeper and more energetic role, collecting possession earlier and dictating the game from the centre.
Guimaraes gives Arteta the freedom to use either version.
Arsenal could field Guimaraes at the base with Odegaard and Eze ahead of him. They could use a more balanced double pivot, allowing Odegaard to begin deeper before advancing into attacking areas. Against particularly physical opponents, Guimaraes could play further forward and lead Arsenal’s press.
There will be no shortage of tactical diagrams produced over the next few weeks. The encouraging thing is that Arsenal’s midfield no longer appears dependent on one fixed formula.
Tzolis makes his case
If Arsenal’s midfield supplied the intrigue, their wingers provided the urgency.
Dowman and Christos Tzolis have started throughout pre-season and may be required again when Arsenal face Manchester City in next Sunday’s Community Shield.
The continued emergence of Dowman is becoming almost absurd. He is still only 16, yet he looks increasingly comfortable playing against senior opposition. His intelligent touches and sudden bursts behind Maximilian Beier repeatedly altered the shape of Arsenal’s attacks.
He created an early opportunity for Gyokeres, who struck the crossbar, and won a free kick inches outside the penalty area. These were the moments when Dowman looked most liberated—receiving the ball, committing his defender and playing without fear.
Tzolis took longer to become involved but eventually became Arsenal’s most influential attacker.
The Greek international’s game is refreshingly uncomplicated. He receives the ball and immediately looks to beat his opponent, shoot or deliver into the penalty area. There is very little sterile possession for its own sake.
With Arsenal trailing 2-0, Tzolis drove into the Dortmund box and sent a low left-footed cross towards Nwaneri, who reduced the deficit. He later won the penalty converted by Gyokeres.
Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eze are due to return to training on Monday, but none has enjoyed a proper pre-season. If Arteta decides they are not ready to begin the campaign, Dowman and Tzolis have done enough to merit serious consideration.
Tzolis, in particular, looks capable of offering something Arsenal occasionally lacked last season: directness. He does not merely occupy the width; he uses it as a platform from which to attack.
Pre-season errors—or warning signs?
The less encouraging aspect of Arsenal’s afternoon was the defending.
Dortmund established a two-goal lead through Samuele Inacio and Konstantino Karetsas. After Nwaneri pulled one back, Joane Gadou restored the visitors’ advantage before Gyokeres converted from the spot to complete the scoring.
Arsenal have now conceded six goals in consecutive defeats against Real Betis and Dortmund. Both performances have contained the kind of peculiar individual mistakes often dismissed as pre-season rust.
That explanation is reasonable—but only to a point.
Arsenal have lacked first-team regulars, while some of those who have played appear to be at very different stages of their preparation. Kepa Arrizabalaga has not covered himself in glory in David Raya’s absence, inevitably reopening the debate over whether Arsenal should retain him as second choice or place greater faith in new signing Illan Meslier.
My own view is that Meslier is the better goalkeeper, although plenty will disagree. Either way, Arsenal cannot afford uncertainty behind Raya if they intend to challenge on four fronts.
The problems have not been confined to the goalkeepers. Outfield players have waited for passes instead of meeting them, failed to anticipate pressure and approached defensive duels with a worrying lack of intensity.
Arteta was right to describe the goals as a collective responsibility. Arsenal’s defensive excellence has always depended upon the entire side reacting together. When the press is half-hearted or one player switches off, the structure quickly begins to look far less secure.
The good news is that Arteta will finally have his complete squad from Monday. Saka, Eze, Madueke and the remaining returning internationals should raise both the quality and intensity of training.
Wednesday’s friendly against Cesc Fabregas’s Como should therefore provide a more accurate indication of Arsenal’s condition before the Community Shield.
Nobody should lose sleep over a pre-season defeat. Dortmund looked sharper, Arsenal made mistakes and the result will soon be forgotten.
What may prove far more significant was the sight of Guimaraes standing on the Emirates pitch, Odegaard rediscovering his passing rhythm and Tzolis driving relentlessly at the Dortmund defence.
Arsenal still have plenty to sharpen. But beneath the rust, the shape of a frighteningly versatile team is beginning to emerge.
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