It's not always the best idea to overreact from what you see in pre-season, but in Arsenal's case, it's the same old story.
The Gunners finished outside the European spots for the first time in 25 years last season and although there were weaknesses throughout the squad, one of the glaring issues was their lack of creativity in midfield.
Arsenal only managed 55 goals in 38 Premier League games with Mohamed Elneny, Thomas Partey, Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka managing just four in all competitions, whilst more attack-minded players like Willian, Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard netted seven in total.
And it seems like they carried on right from where they left off as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in a friendly.
Should Arsenal sign Martin Odegaard or James Maddison this summer? Comment below
Mikel Arteta's men struggled to create chances, particularly in the first half, with their three shots all coming from outside the box as they were unable to break down Thomas Tuchel's side.
Things improved after the break as Granit Xhaha cancelled out Kai Havertz' opener before Tammy Abraham scored the winner shortly after, but it wasn't the free-flowing football in the final third Arteta is looking for.
It's a problem that the Arsenal boss is fully aware of, however, he even highlighted the issue back in December.
He said: "It's very clear. If you say 'can they do it?' it's a question mark. Have they done it in the past? The answer is no.
"We haven't had any goals from midfield, it's not something that happened [just] this year, it happened in other years and is something that has to be addressed.
"To change the qualities and characteristics of players is very, very difficult. A big team needs players in midfield who score goals. They need central defenders that score goals from set-pieces to add to that.
"If you start to lose those margins, you start to lose points, you start to be away from the top team, this is not any science."
Arsenal have been desperate to add a creative midfielder during the transfer window and although nothing has materialised yet, it's not been due to a lack of trying.
The North London club are keen to secure a permanent deal for Martin Odegaard who impressed on loan last season, while James Maddison is a reported target.
Maddison's price tag of £60million might be steeper than Odegaard, who is valued at around £40m by Real Madrid, but it could pay off to invest in the more expensive of the two players.
The Leicester midfielder spoke of his desire to chase goals and assists and how he thrives on being the focal point which is exactly what Arsenal need given their well-documented struggles in front of goal.
He told BBC's Football Focus earlier in the year: "I want to be the best player James Maddison can be. The way I can do that is to put pressure on myself. I want everyone questioning me because that is what drives me.
"Some people like to go under the radar - and that is not wrong - but, for me, I want my name in everyone's mouth.
"One of the things that has made me get a lot of goals and assists in the last few months is because I heard Jamie Carragher say my numbers weren't good enough. I didn't go into my shell after that, that was adding fuel to my engine.
"I always back myself and believe in myself because that has got me to where I am today."
