This time last year, Spurs and Villarreal were beating Arsenal in friendlies.
In the summer of 2003, we failed to defeat Peterborough, Barnet and Beveren. That didn’t prevent the Invincibles from being born.
So, for any of my peers, don’t read too much into pre-season results, especially with players having their workloads individually managed depending on what stage they were knocked out of the World Cup.
What you might be concerned by, though, are our performances defensively.
Can Arsenal afford to be without Saliba?
Our manager didn’t need any evidence to already know that not having Saliba for the start of the season is a blow. Yet the very best bosses recognise when there is a problem, and if there is one positive to the goals his team has conceded in the last couple of weeks, it could be that they encourage Andrea Berta to be more aggressive in the search for a defender.
Saliba has so far been able to avoid surgery on his back and instead been ordered to rest. Yet you tend to worry when our medical team doesn’t give a timeframe.
Our first-choice centre-back partnership can’t be replaced. If it could, they wouldn’t be so special.
Our own boss has often said the difference between success and failure can be based on the smallest details.
What was the difference between the champions and the rest last campaign?
The ability to defend better than the rest of the division and how creative our set-piece routines were.
You would assume Nicolas Jover has spent his holidays in the knowledge that opponents will be more prepared for our free-kicks and corners?
(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Do Arsenal already have enough defensive cover?
Mosquera should have spent this month proving he can be trusted to start every week. The opposite has happened.
That’s not a reflection on the Spaniard. There’s zero disgrace for a 22-year-old not quite being at that level consistently.
I would prefer Calafiori or Hincapie to come into the middle, which I know means a left-footed player on the right side, but neither would need their hand held. Gabriel is at his best focusing on his own game.
White is an option as his partner once Timber is back, but he’s injury-prone himself, and it’s not ideal to ask him to play every few days.
John Stones as a free agent was a no-brainer for me. If he’s good enough for the Italian champions, then he’s good enough to do a job in North London.
Is Konsa an option?
It’s been said earlier this window that our Director of Football simply doesn’t agree with Aston Villa’s valuation of the England international. Yet various outlets are suggesting that the Italian has now accepted that they need to try and find a compromise on the asking price.
If that’s based on what’s happened in pre-season, then those results have been worth it.
If an upgrade in attack doesn’t arrive, we are letting our foot off the throat of our rivals, yet it could be even more costly not to fix the Saliba-shaped hole in our back four.
Have the club come to the conclusion that if they leave themselves light at the back, it could cost them their title?
Dan Smith
What do you think, Gooners? Is another defender now essential for Arsenal, or do Arteta and Berta already have enough options in the squad to cope without Saliba? Let us know in the comments. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ADMIN COMMENT
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