Match report – Participant rankings – Arteta response – Video

Arsenal suffered a primary defeat of the season after an error strewn efficiency towards Bournemouth yesterday night.

The crew noticed Ben White return, Raheem Sterling substitute Bukayo Saka on the fitting, who was not within the squad in any respect, and a primary begin for Mikel Merino in midfield. It was a purposeful aspect greater than an thrilling one, and it was an odd sport. The pitch was actually gradual, closely watered, and that affected the tempo of play for either side. Nothing a lot occurred in both goalmouth till the massive incident of the primary half.

Fairly what Leandro Trossard was attempting to do, I’m unsure, however he performed a ball from inside their half excessive of our defence and into the trail of Evanilson. William Saliba was there, he pulled him again and the referee issued a yellow card. VAR steered a assessment, after which the yellow card was rescinded and a pink pulled out as an alternative for denying a goalscoring alternative.

I believe it’s a type of the place it’s each a bit harsh but in addition comprehensible. Would I need it if the scenario was reversed and it was Gabriel Martinelli, for instance, about to streak by means of? Sure, I believe so, even when it was a good distance from purpose. Right here’s the factor for me – when it comes proper all the way down to it, I believe Saliba made a mistake. He’s fast sufficient to have chased Evanilson down, and received again to make a deal with. We’ve seen him try this earlier than, greater than as soon as, and even when they went by means of and scored, there was plenty of time to make it proper. However on this event he simply panicked in a break up second and gave the officers the choice to make. And when the Liverpool fan on VAR had the possibility to make sure Saliba could be suspended for our sport towards them subsequent week, he took it.

That made it an uphill battle, and for the third time this season we have been all the way down to 10 males for an prolonged interval. No matter in regards to the rights and wrongs of the choices, it’s an issue we have to get on prime of. On this occasion it was only a freakish in-game scenario, a bizarre, dangerous go from Trossard, a nasty choice from Saliba and in 2 seconds the sport had turned on its head.

The supervisor’s response was to take Sterling off and put Jakub Kiwior on in his place. It’s a substitution I largely perceive, and if anybody needed to come off it might have been him, however I do marvel if we may have reorganised in a different way. May Declan Rice have gone to centre-half, the place he has performed rather a lot in his profession, and also you then have Partey and Merino as a pure left-right midfield duo which suggests you may maintain your huge gamers on? Possibly it says one thing about how Arteta thinks Sterling would have coped with the work required all the way down to 10, however that’s one other dialog.

To be truthful, that substitution got here into sharper focus late on with Bournemouth’s second, however for essentially the most half we seemed pretty safe regardless of being a person gentle. There have been a few moments for the house aspect, an early second half likelihood which Antoine Semenyo blasted over, however by and huge they didn’t trigger us too many issues.

We additionally had an excellent likelihood to go forward once they made a mistake on the again, Merino did very well to feed substitute Gabriel Martinelli however he couldn’t discover the end. It was each a nasty miss and save, however these are moments you must soak up video games like this. I don’t suppose it’s the worst miss I’ve ever seen or something, however that may have modified the trajectory of the sport in an enormous method.

The truth that 60 seconds later Bournemouth went forward solely heightened these regrets. It was a pleasant nook routine, completed very properly by Ryan Christie, and whereas we will get forensic on the way in which we defended it – as a result of we did have numbers within the field to have lower off that likelihood being created – it was a properly labored purpose, so we needed to reply.

Right here, I want Mikel Arteta had reacted extra shortly from the bench. It’s loads to ask of a 17 yr previous, however as he confirmed within the Leicester sport, I believe Ethan Nwaneri ought to have been on earlier to present the midfield that spark of dynamism that he brings. Possibly it was one thing the supervisor was planning, however by the point it occurred, it was too late. Kiwior under-hit a back-pass to Raya, Evanilson went down (way over being fouled however these penalties are virtually all the time given), and Justin Kluivert made it 2-0 from the spot.

Kiwior suffered the ignominy of being a sub who then will get subbed, however at that time it was a case of throwing on Nwaneri and Jesus and hoping for a miracle. One which didn’t arrive, clearly, and for the primary time this season we failed to attain in a Premier League, and misplaced.

Afterwards, Arteta mentioned:

We’re clearly very disillusioned with the end result and gutted as a result of we needed to play a sport in that context, much more troublesome than within the earlier two that we already confronted this season. Enjoying for 65 or 68 minutes with ten males at this stage is simply an unimaginable activity, an accident ready to occur to not get the factors and I can’t fault the crew for his or her effort, dedication, how clever they play in the way in which they must do it.

There’s a massive second at 0-0 when now we have an enormous opening, one-on-one scenario with the keeper and we don’t handle to attain and on the different finish, we try this. We’ve to fault ourselves; soccer is a sport the place errors are a part of that, tonight we made two massive errors that has value us the sport sadly.

Whereas Declan Rice was forthright too, saying:

The matter of the very fact is, we’ve kicked ourselves within the foot 3 times now this season in eight video games. We’ve received away with it twice, house to Brighton, away to Metropolis, however not on a regular basis luck can go your method.

We’ve received to cease making errors.

To be truthful, we’re not a crew that normally makes loads of errors. The Rice/Trossard pink playing cards have been principally unprecedented, and it’s value noting we haven’t seen every other participant from every other crew dismissed for his or her ‘offences’. Final evening, Saliba’s pink card was two errors, the penalty was a mistake, and even earlier than that, the normally impeccable David Raya had a few whiffs which is uncharacteristic for him. So, it’s tempting to place it down to only being a type of nights.

Maybe the efficiency does converse to some underlying points, however for me it comes all the way down to being with out actually necessary gamers like Saka and Odegaard, and taking part in for over an hour with ten males. That’s our fault, however it’s very laborious to correctly assess a efficiency if you’re at that type of drawback for thus lengthy.

There’s a really fast likelihood to react with a Champions League sport on Tuesday towards Shaktar Donetsk, earlier than we face Liverpool subsequent weekend at house. The type of sport that may get you again on monitor in an enormous method. However the actuality is, except we will maintain 11 males on the pitch for 90 minutes, we’ll battle. I’m hoping that is only a freakish type of run initially of the season that can right itself over the length of the marketing campaign, however a lot of that’s in our personal arms.

Proper, I’ll depart it there for this morning. Have Sunday of us, again tomorrow with extra and an Arsecast Additional.

Till then.

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