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Five things we learned as Theo Walcott sends a message to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger despite defensive concerns

Alexandre Lacazette's future may not be as a striker and Sead Kolasinac could prove the buy of the summer

Jack Watson
Saturday 29 July 2017 18:24 BST
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Theo Walcott scored twice and looked to take his chance to impress Arsene Wenger
Theo Walcott scored twice and looked to take his chance to impress Arsene Wenger

Arsenal comprehensively beat Portuguese champions Benfica 5-2 in their first match of the Emirates Cup.

Two goals from Theo Walcott was not enough to give Arsenal a lead at half-time after poor defending let Salvio and Franco Cervi score deflected goals for Benfica.

Arsenal took the lead early in the second half when Lisandro put the ball into his own net before quick-fire goals from Olivier Giroud and Alex Iwobi made it 5-2 to the hosts.

Tomorrow Arsenal face Sevilla but until then, here’s five things we learned:

Walcott send a message to Arsene Wenger

Pre-season is often a chance for fringe players to stake their claim for regular football. While Walcott is no stranger to the first team, he would be the first to say he wants more minutes. Last season the Englishman only started 23 games but his performance against Benfica could prompt Arsene Wenger to increase that this next season. The 29-year-old took up some good positions and was clinical when taking his chances.

Alexandre Lacazette may not be used as a central striker

£52m signing Alexandre Lacazette made a ten minute cameo for his first appearance at the Emirates in Arsenal colours. He played on the left of a front three along with Giroud and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a 3-4-3.

Olivier Giroud celebrates after scoring for Arsenal against Benfica

The French forward was not restricted to a wide role and frequently drifted central but was unable to make an impact on the game.

Kolasinac could be bargain of the summer

Wenger is known as a shrewd buyer in the market and he may have uncovered a gem and on a free transfer. Sead Kolasinac dominated parts of the game and was instrumental in Arsenal’s first half goals. Given that Arsenal paid nothing for him, he is quite the player and could be the best value for money signing this season.

Nelson is one for the future

Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson revealed that Mesut Özil has been mentoring him and it looks like that is paying off. In the first half the 17-year-old showed a tremendous amount of confidence against a good Benfica side and did not look out of his depth. With the right guidance, Nelson could be a successful player at Arsenal in years to come.

Arsene Wenger is yet to discover what his best defence is

Arsenal have defensive issue to sort

Despite some promising signs going forward, Arsenal were fairly poor at the back. Rob Holding, Per Mertesacker and Ainsley Maitland-Niles did not look comfortable in the first half and were unable to contain Benfica during their rare attacks. Of course it is highly unlikely that this trio will line-up against Leicester on the first game of the Premier League season but the team’s defensive structure has cause for concern.

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