FC. Nurnberg 3-5 Arsenal – 3 talking points from pre-season win

Hector Bellerin started the game as captain. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

2. Returning loanees poor

Mikel Arteta gave starts to several players who had returned from loan last season. Pablo Mari, Hector Bellerin, Reiss Nelson, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles all had a chance to put themselves in the shop window, and for the most part, they failed.

While it is only pre-season, so to say they will not find suitors after just one game is short-sighted. However, there was a chance today, against a team considered less-than, to either convince Arteta that they’re worth having around or to impress any potential suitors.

Johannes Geis puts FC Nürnberg 1-0 up against Arsenal, with a strike from outside the box that Matt Turner will be disappointed to be beaten by. #afc pic.twitter.com/7Xa3HXZqWc
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 8, 2022

That did not eventuate as Mari was often found wanting; Bellerin didn’t show too much while Nelson and Maitland-Niles showed flashes. But, ultimately, they were part of a team that got overran in the first half.

There is still a real chance that at least a couple of the players mentioned above will remain on the team, but after today’s performance, they have a lot of work to put in for a starting job.

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