Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal: 3 players who disappointed for the Gunners

2. Ainsley Maitland-Niles

FC Barcelona v Arsenal - Pre-Season Friendly

The 21-year-old Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been one of Arsenal's brightest prospects so far. He started just eight games in the 2017-18 season, but Unai Emery has given him more playing time since Hector Bellerin suffered a lengthy injury last season.

Maitland-Niles' defensive and offensive capabilities have impressed Arsenal fans. He also became one of Arsenal's prominent players in the Europa League, making nine appearances as a starter and scoring a goal.

Unfortunately, he did make several costly defensive mistakes last season. That carried over into the match against Barcelona, where the young full-back struggled to maintain a consistent display.

Maitland-Niles had a superb first half, making a couple of marauding runs and being solid at the back. He was a nightmare for Barcelona defenders despite struggling in the final product.

However, he had a totally different second half. The 21-year-old was barely able to go forward and made several woeful deliveries. To top that, he scored a bizarre own goal which gave Barcelona momentum.

Despite his excellent first half, the Arsenal academy product will be remembered for gifting Barcelona the equalizer.