Arsenal: Yes, Sokratis debut concerning; no, it’s not fatal

Sokratis made his first appearance in an Arsenal shirt against Boreham Wood on Saturday. He didn’t play very well. It is concerning, but it’s not fatal.

Saturday’s match against Boreham Wood was the first opportunity for many fans to get a look at the new era of Arsenal football club. It was Unai Emery’s first match in charge as head coach, there were debuts and rare starts for young players like Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson and Jeff Reine Adelaide, and there was a start for new signing Sokratis Papastathapoulos.

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The 8-0 win was emphatic. The quality of the opposition should be factored into any conclusions drawn from the performance and result, but there were certainly many positive signs to build on as the summer progresses and the new season draws ever nearer.

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Unfortunately, however, the non-competitive debut of Sokratis was not one of the positives. The Greek international started alongside compatriot Konstantinos Mavropanos on the right side of the pair with Hector Bellerin to his right side. He never really looked comfortable throughout the 45 minutes that he was on the pitch for, struggling for speed at times, gifting possession with wayward passes and puzzling decisions, and looking short of sharpness.

There were a series of unconvincing moments throughout. At one point, he passed straight to a Wood player, then was outpaced down the line, rashly and desperately dived in to try and recover, only to leave himself totally exposed as the Wood attacker rounded him and could have created or scored a goal. Another moment saw him hook an awkward clearance over his head straight to a Wood player, rather than calmly bringing the ball under his control or clearing to touch.

These signs are concerning. Sokratis arrived with a divisive range of evaluations and many of the more negative ones were confirmed somewhat in this troubling performance. But that does not mean that they are fatal.

This is the first game of the preseason and a lack of match sharpness is not all that surprising — in fact, it was surprising that the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette looked as sharp as they did. Moreover, the standard of the opposition changes the pattern of the game. There were long periods of possession that can lull defenders into lapses of concentration, there was not much pressure on the ball, until suddenly there was, which could catch players out, and there was not a need for consistent, and thereby focused and concentrated, defending.

These are not excuses for Sokratis. His level of performance was not good enough, not by any stretch of the imagination. But they do perhaps provide some reason as to why he didn’t shine as many fans had been hoping he might in his first appearance in an Arsenal shirt.

Next: Arsenal Vs Boreham Wood: 3 players who impressed

It’s not a fatal problem. Obviously. It’s been 45 minutes of a fairly meaningless preseason game. But there were some concerning signs there that should not just be overlooked.