My 7 Important Takeaways From Arsenal-Barcelona

I went to a soccer match and was not disappointed in the slightest.

It’s not often these days that I get to go to sporting events other than basketball. So, when I got the opportunity to go to the Arsenal-Barcelona friendly match at SoFi Stadium on Wednesday night, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Most people know that I support Arsenal and love them — not as much as Stuart Macfarlane, of course — so it was a no-brainer for me to go.

Whew. Still gives me chills to hear that speech.

Arsenal had sturdy opposition in front of them on Wednesday night. It came in the form of one of the greatest soccer clubs in the world — Barcelona.

Last season, their first full campaign under manager Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona won La Liga by 10 points over fierce rivals Real Madrid. To illustrate their domination, they were in first place in La Liga for the final 25 matches that they played. Barcelona also won the Supercopa de España under Xavi, defeating Real Madrid 3-1 in the Final. Unfortunately for Barcelona, however, their success ended there after losing 4-1 on aggregate to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, getting knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League, and losing 4-3 on aggregate to Manchester United in the Europa League knockout stage.

Barcelona's turnover this offseason has been prevalent. Captain Sergio Busquets left at the end of his contract to sign with MLS side Inter Miami, joining former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi. Also joining them from Barcelona is Jordi Alba, who was released from his contract by Barcelona this summer. However, Barcelona did add former Manchester City captain İlkay Gündoğan on a free transfer to their midfield this summer. They're also young and talented up front, sporting names such as Ousmane Dembélé, Ansu Fati, Raphinha, and Ferran Torres. Plus, of course, the always incredible Robert Lewandowski.

Considering Arsenal’s previous preseason match saw them fall to hated rivals Manchester United by a 2-0 scoreline, the club needed to turn it around before heading back to London with just two weeks remaining before the season begins. And I got to be there on Wednesday night to watch them try and do just that.

Photo of SoFi Stadium scoreboard. Final: Arsenal 5-3 Barcelona.

When the dust, and literal smoke bombs, cleared from a chaotic match, Arsenal found themselves on the winning side, triumphing 5-3 over Barcelona. The following is what I observed and took from the match itself.

1. JURRIËN TIMBER HAS THE GOODS

When the news was announced that Arsenal had agreed to a £34 million deal with Ajax for Jurriën Timber, a lot of people who’ve seen Timber play were quite excited about the possibilities. It’s not just that Ajax and Arsenal share similar philosophies on play style and such, but also that Timber, 22, is so incredibly talented.

On Wednesday, Timber got to showcase why fans and pundits alike loved this move for him. Timber, who got the start at left-back, is a naturally gifted defender with a ton of expertise at center-back and right-back, and his ability to attack the ball in duels makes him extremely valuable to what Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta loves to do.

The play above is just a highlight of his versatility. Timber wins the ball from Raphina after the Brazilian has a wayward dribble, and then Timber scoots the ball up the sideline with a little progressive chip pass to a streaking Kai Havertz. That sparks a great chance for Arsenal. Timber’s penchant to rotate from a defensive role into a progressive offensive role is quite uncanny.

This play illustrates the above point. The pass to Timber is a little out in front of him, but Timber pokes it past the defender and hustles with a 30-yard carry before attempting to lay it off to Gabriel Jesus up front. The ball is played to the inside, which Jesus is late to read. But it ultimately results in a corner for Arsenal.

Timber has now played at right-back and left-back in the preseason. When factoring in that Arteta loves to go to a 3-2-5 when in possession, Timber has also seen action as a midfield pivot alongside both Declan Rice and, as he did in this match, Thomas Partey. Timber’s got a whole world of talent, and we could look back on Timber’s signing as one of the steals of the offseason for Arsenal.

2. ARSENAL NEED TO BE WARY OF LONG BALLS

In their previous preseason match, Arsenal fell victim to the long-ball attack of Manchester United, mostly through an error by center-back Gabriel Magalhães. But it has been something to note. The reason it can be such a problem for Arsenal specifically is because of their style of play.

By playing an ultra-aggressive pressing and possession style that pushes bodies forward, it can leave Arsenal exposed on the back end mostly due to their high defensive line. Barcelona thought they had an advantage, especially on the wings, and aimed to exploit it in the opening 45 minutes by playing a myriad of long balls over the top.

While none of them truly got through, including the final one where a tackle by William Saliba dislodged the ball from İlkay Gündoğan, you can see that teams are willing to attempt to go this route. In theory, it makes sense. Arsenal presses high up the field, and it oftentimes leaves defenders one-on-one on the back end. Most offenses, no matter the sport, view a one-on-one situation as advantageous toward the offensive player. So, why not go long?

Arsenal have struggled to deal with wingers in this setting, as well, as shown in the match against Manchester United when they had trouble containing Alejandro Garnacho at times. Speedy wingers will give them problems, mostly because Arsenal will be playing three true center-backs — William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, and either Ben White, Jakub Kiwior, or Takehiro Tomiyasu. But they’ll need to get used to defending these balls over the top because teams will look to abuse them when they can. And the bounces that a ball can take when played long can throw all sorts of chaos into the equation.

3. EMILE SMITH ROWE COULD BE X-FACTOR

It has been a rough go of it for Emile Smith Rowe as of late. After having a fantastic 2021-22 season for Arsenal, including 10 goals in 33 Premier League matches, Smith Rowe dealt with a groin injury that required surgery. It rendered him unavailable for the first part of the 2022-23 season. As a result, Smith Rowe was behind the curve quite a bit and couldn't quite get on the same page. In the end, Smith Rowe's 2022-23 Premier League campaign saw him get action in 12 matches, logging 161 minutes. But he did not score.

However, it does seem as if Smith Rowe is getting up to speed. It certainly helped him that he was able to play for the England U21 side that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship this summer. Smith Rowe scored two goals in the tournament. That was a positive sign for him, and it can’t be swept under the rug how much winning a trophy — yes, even a U21 trophy — can help a player’s psyche as they continue along in their career progression.

Wednesday was a good showing for Smith Rowe as he subbed on for Kai Havertz at halftime and showcased the talent level he had displayed two years ago. He was active, disruptive, and casually looked in control whenever the ball found his feet. Smith Rowe’s versatility to play on the wing or even in an advanced midfield role could allow Arteta and Arsenal to jumble with things a bit more when the compact schedule of Champions League and Premier League gets underway.

It looks like the youngster — Smith Rowe will turn 23 years old on Friday — is gaining steam to be ready for the beginning of the season. While he won’t be a starter in the normal squad rotation, Smith Rowe could be a fantastic option off the bench to give the opposition something else to think about when he’s on the pitch due to his work rate and technical ability. What he’s done over the last couple of months has to make Arsenal’s brass feel a lot better than they were before it.

4. ALEJANDRO BALDE IS QUITE BREATHTAKING

While I was there to mostly watch Arsenal, I do find myself intrigued by a lot of the youthful talent that Barcelona have at their disposal. While everyone will point to gems like Gavi, Pedri, and Ansu Fati, one who has stood out to me over the last couple of years is left-back Alejandro Balde.

Balde started 30 matches for Barcelona last season, so it’s not as if he’s been lurking in the shadows for ages, but his talent level is something to behold, especially as a ball-carrying left-back that can play a bit of an inverted role a la Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, or even on the wings in overlapping runs like Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies.

This was the sequence from Balde that took my breath away. I’ve seen what he’s capable of before, but seeing it in person feels different. I don’t know why that is. Look what he’s able to do here. He breaks down Martin Ødegaard, evades the tackle, and springs into the attacking third with pace, technique, and power, pushing the Arsenal back line deeper into their own half in the process. Balde then occupies a couple more defenders before laying it off. The possession ultimately ends in a shot just over the crossbar by Ousmane Dembélé.

Since I mentioned it earlier, here’s what the radar chart comparison looks like from the last 365 days between both Balde and Davies, as well as how Balde grades out by himself when factoring in percentiles for his position.

It’s going to sound like a weird thing, but Balde became a favorite of mine in Football Manager largely because his age (19) means he has terrific growth potential and his strengths were quite conducive to the style of play I liked to employ. Balde is supremely talented, and it wouldn’t shock me to see him become one of the best in the world at his position.

5. YOU CAN SEE THE KAI HAVERTZ VISION

Yes, the £65 million transfer of Kai Havertz from north London rivals Chelsea could be classified as odd considering the role that Havertz is looking to fill — the midfield spot vacated by the departing Granit Xhaka — is not one that he’s used to playing. After all, Havertz was more of an attacking midfielder and striker during his time with Chelsea.

However, that’s only if you look at things by position rather than by skill set. The thing that appears to set Havertz apart, at least when looking at him in the context of Arsenal’s offensive style of play, is that he loves to get into the box as both an aerial threat and a connector. Here’s the sequence that leads to Arsenal’s second goal on Wednesday night:

Cast aside Bukayo Saka’s sheer brilliance and growth as a footballer for a moment here, if you can, and just focus on the simple fact that Arsenal have four different players within 8 yards of the goal. That was not something that happened quite a bit last season. Oftentimes you’d have seen players like Xhaka and even Ødegaard hanging out further away from the goal, hovering somewhere near the penalty spot or even the edge of the box. But not now. Now, it seems like the team has an impetus to clog the space.

But we’re here to focus on Havertz especially. And as the ball is played from the end line by Saka, Ødegaard is going to move to play it with a header while Havertz, rather than just widening himself to create more space, opts to do an interesting thing: position himself right in front of the goal mouth for any potential chance. That chance comes as Ødegaard heads the ball right to Havertz for the simple finish.

This is a poacher’s goal, and while Havertz isn’t a natural goal scorer, being able to have a player that’s 6-foot-3 in this position on the pitch is a commodity. Havertz is an exquisite aerial threat for his position, and Arsenal now has the option to dump the ball into the box with the added benefit of putting a player like him into an actual goal-scoring position.

6. ATMOSPHERE WAS ELECTRIC

That was a hell of a match to go to, not gonna lie. While it was billed as a friendly, the energy and atmosphere within the match, specifically in the first half, was electric. It didn’t seem all that friendly out there, as evidenced by the hard tackles and tactics players were employing.

As it was my first foray into the world of live professional soccer, I didn’t know what quite to expect. Obviously, you brace for the banter and chants and everything in between. But it felt like a religious experience. You were utterly in awe of everything that took place. Extremely glad and fortunate to have been able to go to this. Can’t wait to go again.

7. SoFi IS A DICEY WORLD CUP HOST

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the elephant in the room: I’m not sure SoFi Stadium is an optimal host for World Cup matches.

For those who don’t know, SoFi Stadium is right in the middle of a commercial and residential area of Inglewood. It makes traffic a damn nightmare, both getting to and getting out of the area where the stadium is located. There’s all sorts of congestion. Now, that’s to be expected. It’s a sports stadium, of course, and traffic is always going to be an issue. But this seems worse than normal.

This was the second time I’ve been to SoFi. I went for a Steelers-Chargers Sunday Night Football game back in November 2021. Another fantastic game, I must say. But getting out of there was a ridiculous ordeal. That doesn’t even mention the price of parking, either. It was $80 on Wednesday, but for the NFL game two years ago it was $100. It’ll vary based on the event, but what the heck is it going to be for the World Cup? $120? $150???

The stadium is a masterpiece. There’s no denying that. It’s probably a top-five stadium in the world to watch a sporting event. Because the stadium is built down into the earth rather than up, it feels almost like you’re watching an opera. It’s magical. Yet, the field is a problem.

Photo of SoFi Stadium and playing field before Arsenal-Barcelona.

Because the main surface at SoFi is artificial Matrix Turf, the venue would need to bring in real grass for the World Cup to make it playable. They attempted to do that on Wednesday night, but it was a disaster. The surface was uneven, blotchy, and genuinely worried some fans about potential injuries that could arise.

On top of that, the actual field dimensions are a big red flag. The dimensions in use on Wednesday were slightly smaller than standard regulations for World Cup matches, making corner kicks a tricky proposition, and because of the design and suites on the field level at SoFi, it makes expanding both the width and length rather dicey. I’m not sure how they’re going to remedy that situation, but they have another three years to get there if SoFi not only wants to host World Cup matches but also host a potential World Cup Final.