Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal Finish Pre-Season with 2-0 Win over Lazio

Arsenal concluded their pre-season preparations with a 2-0 friendly win over Serie A side Lazio at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, on Saturday.

Reiss Nelson tapped home the opener in the first half after Alex Iwobi's shot had beaten goalkeeper Silvio Proto but hit the post.

Substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sealed the win on 64 minutes, as his shot from just inside the penalty area was deflected past Proto.

Lichtsteiner Will Bring Much-Needed Steel to Arsenal

Stephan Lichtsteiner made his Arsenal debut and took less than three minutes to make his presence felt.

He went up for a challenge with Ștefan Radu, which left the Lazio defender on the turf and earned a talking to from the referee.

Charles Watts at Football.London said Radu was furious with the challenge:

Arsenal have been widely regarded as being a soft touch in recent seasons. However, Lichtsteiner is a no-nonsense defender who will lead by example and bring real grit to the team.

The 34-year-old simply refuses to be bullied, as a second-half pushing match with Senad Lulic showed, and his vast experience will also prove an important asset to Arsenal's younger players.

Arsenal Defence a Concern Ahead of Manchester City Opener

Arsenal have a really tough start to their new Premier League campaign. They face Manchester City, Chelsea and West Ham United in their first three fixtures.

Pep Guardiola's side scored 106 goals in the Premier League last season, and Arsenal will simply have to tighten up against the champions.

Manager Unai Emery partnered Rob Holding with Calum Chambers in central defence on Saturday, but the duo looked far from secure as Lazio carved out plenty of goalscoring opportunities.

Journalist Mattias Karen offered his view:

The Gunners simply cannot afford to be so generous in defence against Manchester City if they are to take anything from their opening game.

Reiss Nelson Deserves First-Team Chance

Nelson has enjoyed a strong pre-season and was impressive again on Saturday. He was in the right place at the right time to knock in the opening goal after Iwobi hit the post.

MICHAEL CAMPANELLA/Getty Images

The 18-year-old is quick, direct, offers the team width and caused Lazio problems whenever he raced forward with the ball.

He also enjoyed a strong pre-season last year but did not manage to kick on and force his way into the first team.

With a tough fixture list, Arsenal can't afford to start the season slowly. Nelson has been one of the team's most in-form performers in pre-season and may have done enough to convince Emery he deserves a start.

What's Next?

Arsenal open their Premier League campaign on Sunday, August 12. They face a daunting visit from reigning champions Manchester City. Lazio are in action a day earlier as they take on Napoli in Serie A at the Stadio Olimpico.