3 positives & negatives from Arsenal’s pre-season draw with Nurnberg

Positive #3: Saliba back in action

As I noted, Arteta went strong to start Thursday’s game and it was a pleasant surprise seeing Saliba in the XI for the first time since March.

A lower back injury ended his stellar 2022/23 campaign prematurely, with his absence hindering the Gunners down the stretch.

Nevertheless, the silky defender is fit and firing once more; ready for a busy summer schedule. The Frenchman once again made the sport look incredibly easy on his first appearance back as he partnered Gabriel.

Negative #3: Fabio Vieira fails to take chance

There are a couple of negatives to discuss here, the first being the injury sustained by Martin Odegaard in the warm-up which thrust Vieira into the XI. The skipper picked up a calf issue and it remains to be seen whether he’ll spend any time on the sidelines.

Nevertheless, Odegaard’s injury handed Vieira a brilliant opportunity to impress after an indifferent debut season. However, it was more of the same from the Portuguese playmaker. Sure, there were tidy moments down the right, but he seems content with being a peripheral performer. It never seems as if he’s going to assert himself in the contest and grab it by the collar as Nwaneri did in the second half.

It’s all a bit meek.