Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth: A miserable performance at the worst possible time

Match report – Participant rankings – Arteta response – Video

The morning after and the chilly mild of day have made little distinction to me with regards yesterday’s 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth. We turned what was a giant alternative to take a big step in the direction of the title into one thing way more damaging. My intestine feeling, and I realise it’s simply that, is that successful yesterday would exhibit this group’s capability to go the space. Shedding, particularly within the method we did, makes me strongly doubt that we are able to do it.

And look, I do know yesterday wasn’t deadly, per se, however it actually felt like we’d given everybody else the ammunition they want, not least Man Metropolis who will certainly really feel far in a different way going into their recreation in opposition to Chelsea at this time than if we’d taken three factors in opposition to Bournemouth. We didn’t shut the door over, we opened it up for them to stay their measurement 115 boots by way of.

The group choice frightened me, I’ve to say. With no Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz was deployed in midfield; Myles Lewis-Skelly got here in at left-back within the absence of Riccardo Calafiori; and the entrance three of Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres, and Noni Madueke, is probably the most toothpaste and orange juice mixture obtainable to this supervisor. It simply doesn’t work, it has by no means actually labored, and whereas I respect accidents performed a component within the group Mikel Arteta selected, and was maybe hamstrung by, it needs to be no shock that it was utterly ineffective.

So too was our recreation general although. Bournemouth, as everybody is aware of, are a effectively organised group who press excessive up the pitch. From the off we couldn’t play by way of that press, however nor may we go over it. Havertz appears half match, and in Gyokeres now we have a centre-forward who doesn’t win duels or maintain the ball up effectively. In midfield, the Martin Zubimendi/Declan Rice double-pivot was utterly disconnected from Kai, so we lacked cohesion in that space of the pitch.

Going behind was definitely not a part of the plan, however that’s precisely what occurred. Zubimendi misplaced a routine cross to Ben White, Bournemouth obtained a throw, labored it from one aspect to the opposite then, with White dragged inside, their full again was allowed to run into house too simply by Noni Madueke. There was a contact of unhealthy luck when the ball deflected off William Saliba’s foot, however on the again publish Eli Junior Kroupi ran off the again of an unware Lewis-Skelly on the again publish to tuck it residence. Defensively we switched off greater than as soon as, and for a group constructed on solidity on the again, that was a very poor aim to concede.

Then it was about how we’d reply. It wasn’t full on, by half-hour we’d solely had one try all recreation, a Havertz header that he ought to scored with from a nook, however after a Rice shot was deflected behind for a nook, Gabriel tried to knock it again into the center, it hit a hand and the referee pointed to the spot after giving himself a second to assume. Gyokeres stepped up and made no mistake, thumping the penalty residence to make it 1-1. It was, clearly, a lot wanted, however it made little distinction to our general efficiency. We failed to assemble any second after equalising, and didn’t have a shot between then and half-time.

It’s important to think about there have been some phrases spoken on the break about needing extra from sure gamers, so it wasn’t a whole shock to see the supervisor make adjustments comparatively early within the second half. Lower than 10 minutes in he dragged off the ineffective trio of Martinelli, Madueke and Havertz, changing them with Leandro Trossard, Max Dowman and Eberechi Eze. Some will say decisive administration, however I do surprise if he might need staggered these subs a bit. The stylistic shift from the 2 wingers specifically didn’t actually present us any larger steadiness, and I can’t bear in mind a recreation the place a triple change as early as this has had the specified impact.

We had loads of the ball, however most of it appeared to be with David Raya quite than on the enterprise finish of the pitch. Full disclosure, I praised him after we scored that late aim in opposition to Everton. After we needed him to make use of it, he held onto it, Everton pressed and he performed it vast to Gabriel, from the place we went up the opposite finish to take the lead. The important thing distinction yesterday is that Bournemouth didn’t fall into that very apparent lure, and he was pressured to make a sequence of more and more tough or ineffective passes. One, with the skin of his foot, was so informal it bounced off Evanilson when it may simply have resulted in a aim. I don’t know what he was considering.

There’s a fantastic steadiness between confidence and carelessness, and he added to the nerves yesterday in a approach that isn’t normal for him. Past that, I believe the passing statistics on this recreation are attention-grabbing. This can be a recreation Arsenal needed to win, however to try this you must have the ball in harmful areas. We couldn’t get it there, and I believe the group used Raya as a sort of security blanket. Fairly than take a danger excessive up the pitch, they selected to present it to a participant who offers them consolation. Have a look at the listing of tried passes yesterday:

1: Declan Rice – 502: David Raya – 493: Ben White, William Lintasa, Gabriel – 40

To me that’s absurd. Nonetheless good your goalkeeper is, he shouldn’t be nearly your main passer in any recreation. That reticence to go ahead is, I believe, multi-factored. I believe nerves performed a giant half in our efficiency yesterday, strain in sport may be crippling when there’s quite a bit on the road, and that was evident to me, at the very least. The midfield, even when Eze got here on, simply didn’t perform correctly. Zubimendi appears like a shell of the participant who was so spectacular within the first a part of the season, Rice is stationed out on the left wing too typically when he must be pulling the strings centrally, and our centre-forward isn’t the sort of participant who could make it stick and produce others into mess around him. A lot so you possibly can see others select to not make passes to him. Not simply yesterday by the best way, however that has been apparent all through this season.

The second aim we conceded is an illustration of how this group defaulted to security first. Have a look at the place we win the ball again:

Six seconds later it’s on the toes of Raya. From there, Gabriel’s tried cross subject ball is deflected into the air, we don’t problem for the second ball, Lewis-Skelly is overwhelmed in an aerial duel, Alex Scott then runs off the again of Zubimendi and places Bournemouth 2-1 up. The aim that in the end price us the sport. I see these gamers in coaching movies doing the rondos and taking part in intricate passes in tight areas, however when it actually issues they don’t produce that. Received’t produce that.

Gabriel Jesus got here on for Zubimendi, however appeared to wish to play in our half greater than theirs. I additionally thought there have been two actually good alternatives for Gyokeres within the closing levels, however he whiffed at each of them. One when he slipped when placing the ball, the opposite when he put it vast after making house contained in the field. There are those that really feel just like the group doesn’t give him sufficient service, however they have been the precise conditions folks say we have to present for him. I’m undecided feedback from him in regards to the pitch being a bit dry assist his trigger, by the best way, however in the end, he was discovered wanting.

As have been most of his teammates yesterday although, as a result of this was a dismal afternoon for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta. A collective failure of efficiency and mentality. Followers have been urged to convey their dinner and to get behind the group, however you possibly can’t ask the supporters to indicate up then not hassle yourselves. We regarded like a group hit by damage, after all, but in addition one paralysed by the concern of what this a part of the season means while you’re within the place we’re in. No matter who was absent, we should always have been able to much better than that, as a result of this was, by far, the worst efficiency of the season.

The outdated adage about timing being the important thing to good comedy would possibly apply in a soccer sense too. Arsenal falling to items proper now can be hilarious to everybody else, and nonetheless a lot you’re able to blocking out the exterior noise, you possibly can’t be immune from it. This can be a group I badly wish to succeed and go the space, however after yesterday I can’t sit right here this morning and never admit I’m massively involved about our capability to try this. My glass isn’t a lot half-empty as smashed all around the flooring.

Afterwards, Arteta stated:

It’s a giant punch within the face, however what I stated to the boys, now it’s about how we react to that.  When you could have a defeat at residence, you must settle for it. That’s it. There aren’t any excuses, there isn’t any this or that. All of the issues that I hear are about how we’re going to face up, to begin with, individually, after which as a group, to vary that instantly on Wednesday.

In fact it needs to be in regards to the response, however my religion in our capability to try this is intrinsically tied with my religion in our capability to supply within the first place. Certainly the dressing room messaging earlier than this recreation was about how they wanted to carry out and to supply a show that will ship us, briefly at the very least, 12 factors clear. Now they must say ‘Come on lads, we are able to do it in our most tough away recreation of the season!’, and now we have to imagine in that?

Finally, I suppose that’s precisely it. Yesterday was blow, however not a deadly one. Subsequent weekend may change the temper utterly. If we keep away from defeat on the Etihad, I believe we nonetheless have probability, but when we lose, I can’t see every other situation than Man Metropolis storming previous us. Perhaps that’s the chilly mild of day shining too harshly on my mind, however it’s additionally the truth that this group and this supervisor have to face.

Until there’s an enormous enchancment, and really shortly, a season that promised a lot may very effectively finish with nothing. I don’t wish to get into the potential penalties of that, as a result of there’s nonetheless tons to play for and it stays in our fingers, however we have been butterfingers yesterday, and there’s nearly no scope for any additional slips.

This group has the possibility to be remembered in two methods now. Because the one which stood up and obtained counted as they introduced residence the primary title in 24 22 years, or the most important bunch of nearly-men we’ve ever seen. I do know which I want, I do know which you favor, and I do know which they like.

However no quantity of us bringing our breakfast, lunch, dinner or midnight snack adjustments the truth that it’s all the way down to what they do on the pitch, and the way the supervisor helps them produce that. And they should kind that shit out immediately.

As a result of yesterday was shit. No person can sugarcoat that.