Barcelona’s preparations for the 2023-24 season began with defeat when the Catalans were defeated 5-3 by Arsenal in their preseason opener at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Barça gained an early lead but struggled physically and had a difficult night at the back against Mikel Arteta’s side, who took the game seriously from the start and won a lively contest that never felt like a friendly.

Arsenal are four games into their preseason against a Barcelona team that is making its debut, and the gap in fitness and energy was clear from the start. Out of possession, the Gunners were much quicker and more competitive, and the Blaugrana struggled to deal with Arsenal’s press throughout the half.

But the Catalans eventually took the lead, thanks in large part to a brilliant solo effort from Ez Abde, who won the ball inside his own half and carried it all the way to the other end before finding Raphinha, who forced a great save from Aaron Ramsdale, allowing Robert Lewandowski to score an easy tap-in to give Barça the lead.

Arsenal soon responded with a goal from Bukayo Saka following a poor mistake by Andreas Christensen, and Saka had a good opportunity to add his tally after a handball by Ronald Araujo inside the box but missed the penalty poorly.

After a chaotic first 20 minutes, the game stalled due to a lot of aggrҽssive play from both sides, which resulted in a number of fouls and bookings, and there was very little quality from either side. Then, owing to some good fortune, Barça scored again when Raphinha’s free-kick rebounded off Martin Odegaard and into the net, bringing the game back to life.

Arsenal played their finest game yet again, attacking with quality and desire, and equalized when Odegaard’s header found Kai Havertz all alone to tap home.

An entertaining and aggrҽssive game ended in a draw at halftime, with plenty of changes expected on Barça’s side after the break.

Mikel Arteta made one change at halfway, while Xavi Hernández brought in an entirely new lineup for the final period, focusing on fitness and giving as many players as possible an opportunity to play.

Arsenal continued to play serious football in search of a win, and 10 minutes into the half, a long pass from the defense found Leandro Trossard, who ran with purpose at a retreating Jules Kounde and hιt the bottom corner with a fantastic effort.

Barça’s second-half team was steady in possession and did a better job of brҽaking through Arsenal’s press, gradually but steadily forming the impression of a coherent unit that knew what to do with the ball. Ansu Fati and Alejandro Balde made an excellent running and skill combo on the left wing, and teenage midfielder Fermn López impressed with his energy, activity, and grace on the ball.

The Blaugrana dominated the first half and had a chance to equalize when Fati found Ousmane Dembélé in a wonderful position inside the box, but the Frenchman hιt the post and squandered a golden opportunity. A few minutes later, Trossard scored his second goal of the night on a counter-attack, ensuring Arsenal’s triumph.

Xavi then opted to give La Masia star Lamine Yamal 10 minutes of play toward the end of the game, and the 16-year-old showed flashes of his incredible skill. Barça kept attacking and trying to get back into the game, and Ferran Torres made it 4-3 with two minutes left after a superb run and pass by Dembélé.

But Arsenal’s Fábio Vieira scored a fantastic long-range goal to erase any chances of a Barça comeback, and the final whistle came to close a very interesting — and sometimes chippy — preseason match.

The outcome is unimportant, because the disparity in fitness levels was evident from the first minute of the game, depending on where the two sides are in their preparations. For Barça, a total of 23 players saw action, and while the defending was a catastrophe, it was to be expected for the first preseason game.

There’s no reason to overreact, and El Clásico at the weekend won’t matter much either. Not this July, but next June. And the whιte uniforms are stunning.