Three positives and two negatives from Arsenal's loss to Real Betis

Arsenal suffered their first defeat of pre-season on Wednesday night in Dublin, losing 3-1 to an impressive Real Betis side at the Aviva Stadium.

The Gunners fell behind early on when Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to command his box from a corner, allowing Rodrigo Riquelme to slam home at the back post. Nelson Deossa then doubled Betis' lead by firing a long-range effort beyond Kepa midway through the first half.

Mikel Arteta's side briefly cut the deficit back to one goal with a header from Piero Hincapie, but this was short-lived as Pablo Fornals reestablished Manuel Pellegrini's team's two-goal cushion with a neat finish from the edge of the box.

Several changes were made at the break and throughout the second half, and this disruption had an impact on the football. The second period was disjointed and lacked intensity, eventually fizzling out with very little action.

Positives and negatives as Arsenal lose to Real Betis

A disappointing second game of pre-season. Here are three positives and two negatives from the clash in Dublin.

Positive #1: Minutes for key players

Ultimately, pre-season is about building fitness, particularly at this stage of the schedule. In the last match or two before the season proper starts, Arteta might be mildly concerned about performance and tactical deficiencies. In the second game, he's more concerned with players looking as though they're returning to match sharpness.

Against Betis on Wednesday night, the Gunners boss was able to give plenty of important players valuable minutes. Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Hincapie, Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres, Christos Tzolis and Gabriel Magalhaes were all given a half each, while the likes of Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly were handed an hour.

These outings should be hugely beneficial for all of these players, who will all play important roles in the early weeks of the season.

Positive #2: Young players impress

Outside of first-team regulars Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman, Arteta left all the youngsters he brought to Dublin on the bench.

However, several Hale End stars were given a chance to impress off the bench, and a handful took this chance well. The unfortunate Louie Copley was withdrawn after just eleven minutes with a serious-looking knee injury, but his replacement, Theo Julienne, equipped himself well.

Meanwhile, Marli Salmon shone in possession at the heart of Arsenal's defence, Ife Ibrahim displayed some of his exciting talent in his short cameo, and Josh Ogunnaike slotted in nicely at left-back.

Positive #3: The new kit looked nice

In the absence of standout positives given the result, at least the new kit looked nice.

The Gunners released their 2026/27 third shirt earlier this week in preparation for it being debuted in this game, and this was perhaps the most interesting thing about this somewhat drab friendly.

Negaitive #1: Kepa Arrizabalaga's display

Fortunately for Arteta, David Raya remained fit for the entirety of last season, and the Spanish manager therefore didn't need to call upon Kepa in any meaningful matches. The former Brentford man played every minute of every league game and every minute of every Champions League game, barring a dead-rubber league phase match against Kairat Almaty in January.

Based on Kepa's display in Dublin, Arteta will be desperate for Raya's injury luck to continue next term. The number two goalkeeper struggled throughout and has clearly lost confidence since his Carabao Cup final antics. Failing to claim a simple cross on the opener, he was then beaten by a powerful but arguably saveable second effort, before being caught stationary on Betis' third goal.

Often praised for his distribution, Kepa also brought very little to the table on the ball. Hacking a clearance out at one point in the first half, he generally wasn't able to find cute balls in between the lines to get the Gunners going.

Arteta will certainly be concerned if he has to rely on Kepa for a prolonged period next season.

Negative #2: Vulnerable in transition

Arsenal's success last season was built on a ridiculous level of defensive security. Rarely would you see the opposition tearing through the heart of them and bearing down on goal, and on the odd occasion they did, the Gunners would quickly retreat into their shape and prevent chances from being created against them.

However, this certainly wasn't the case against Betis. Time and time again, the Spanish side drew Arsenal's press in before breaking through it and building dangerous transitions. While these transitions didn't lead to many clear chances, Arteta may be somewhat concerned by this lack of solidity.

That said, this was almost certainly a symptom of the personnel on the pitch. Myles Lewis-Skelly was deployed as a lone six - not a role he's played in against competent opposition before - alongside two attacking eights in Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri. There was no Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi or Bruno Guimaraes to help the Hale End academy graduate prevent these transitions, and thus, Arteta won't be overly worried about this aspect of the game.

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