Arsenal had a disappointing performance when they lost to Real Betis 1-3 in the second friendly match before the season at Aviva Stadium (Dublin).
Mikel Arteta's team played disjointedly and continuously made mistakes. After only 26 minutes, Arsenal was already behind by 2 goals, making the Spanish strategist unable to hide his disappointment outside the box.
Piero Hincapie scored a goal to narrow the score from a set-piece situation, but Real Betis quickly re-established a 2-goal gap before the first half ended. Although Arteta made a series of changes after the break, Arsenal still did not make much difference and closed the match with many worries before the new season.
One of the most notable points is the performance of Kepa Arrizabalaga. In the context of having to compete for a position with Illan Meslier, the Spanish goalkeeper had another forgettable match.
In the 9th minute, Kepa rushed out to handle Pablo Fornals' corner kick but completely missed the ball, creating conditions for Rodrigo Riquelme to easily open the score.
Not long after, Kepa continued to make a mistake with an inaccurate serve, helping Betis regain control before Nelson Deossa unleashed a beautiful finish to increase the score to 2-0.
Despite facing many difficulties, Arteta's team still showed danger in set pieces. After being led by 2 goals, they narrowed the score thanks to a well-organized corner kick. Christos Tzolis made an accurate cross, passing the control of goalkeeper Alvaro Valles for Piero Hincapie to head close range to score.
This continues to be evidence of the ability to exploit dead ball situations, which has been Arsenal's strength in recent seasons.
In the midfield, the performance of trio Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Kai Havertz further shows why The Gunners are determined to recruit Bruno Guimaraes.
The "Gunners'" midfield lacked vitality, handled inaccurately and continuously let the opponent exploit spaces. In Betis's second goal, Nelson Deossa had too much time to shoot. In the third goal, Havertz lost the ball, creating conditions for Pablo Fornals to score.
These are situations that clearly reflect the insecurity of Arsenal's midfield and also explain Arteta's efforts to strengthen personnel in the 2026 summer transfer window.
The second half also witnessed an unfortunate moment for Louie Copley. The 19-year-old midfielder, who used to wear the captain's armband of the Arsenal U21 team last season, was brought on as a right-back but only played for about 10 minutes before getting injured after an landing. Copley could not leave the field on his own and needed the support of medical staff. Arsenal can only hope that this young player's injury is not too serious.
In the final minutes of the match, Arteta also showed caution in managing the fitness of key players. Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli were both brought on after halftime but left the field only about 30 minutes later. The two Brazilian players had just returned from the 2026 World Cup and Arteta did not want to take risks before Arsenal entered the important matches of the pre-season period.
The defeat against Real Betis does not have much meaning in terms of results, but exposes a series of problems in defense, midfield control and Arsenal's cohesion. With the English Super Cup match against Manchester City approaching, Arteta certainly has a lot of work to do to bring the team back on track.
