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 change 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 practical aspect greater than an thrilling one, and it was an odd recreation. 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 large incident of the primary half.

Fairly what Leandro Trossard was attempting to do, I’m undecided, 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 VAR instructed a assessment, after which the yellow card was rescinded and a pink pulled out as an alternative for denying a goalscoring alternative.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 kind of the place it’s each a bit harsh but additionally comprehensible. Would I would like it if the state of affairs was reversed and it was Gabriel Martinelli, for instance, about to streak by way of? Sure, I believe so, even when it was a great 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 acquired again to make a deal with. We’ve seen him do this earlier than, greater than as soon as, and even when they went by way of and scored, there was a number 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 prospect to make sure Saliba can be suspended for our recreation towards them subsequent week, he took it.

That made it an uphill battle, and for the third time this season we had been all the way down to 10 males for an prolonged interval. No matter in regards to the rights and wrongs of the selections, it’s an issue we have to get on high of. On this occasion it was only a freakish in-game state of affairs, a bizarre, dangerous move from Trossard, a foul resolution 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 principally perceive, and if anybody needed to come off it might have been him, however I do marvel if we may have reorganised otherwise. May Declan Rice have gone to centre-half, the place he has performed quite a bit in his profession, and also you then have Partey and Merino as a pure left-right midfield duo which suggests you might maintain your large gamers on? Perhaps 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 honest, that substitution got here into sharper focus late on with Bournemouth’s second, however for essentially the most half we regarded 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 enormous they didn’t trigger us too many issues.

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

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

Right here, I want Mikel Arteta had reacted extra rapidly from the bench. It’s quite a bit to ask of a 17 yr previous, however as he confirmed within the Leicester recreation, I believe Ethan Nwaneri ought to have been on earlier to present the midfield that spark of dynamism that he brings. Perhaps 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 nearly 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 outcome and gutted as a result of we needed to play a recreation in that context, much more tough than within the earlier two that we already confronted this season. Enjoying for 65 or 68 minutes with ten males at this degree is simply an inconceivable process, an accident ready to occur to not get the factors and I can not fault the crew for his or her effort, dedication, how clever they play in the best way they must do it.

There’s a massive second at 0-0 when we have now an enormous opening, one-on-one state of affairs with the keeper and we don’t handle to attain and on the different finish, we do this. We have now 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 thrice now this season in eight video games. We’ve acquired away with it twice, residence to Brighton, away to Metropolis, however not on a regular basis luck can go your manner.

We’ve acquired to cease making errors.

To be honest, we’re not a crew that normally makes a variety of errors. The Rice/Trossard pink playing cards had 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 night time, 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 simply being a kind of nights.

Maybe the efficiency does communicate 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, but it surely’s very exhausting to correctly assess a efficiency while you’re at that sort of drawback for therefore lengthy.

There’s a really fast likelihood to react with a Champions League recreation on Tuesday towards Shaktar Donetsk, earlier than we face Liverpool subsequent weekend at residence. The sort of recreation that may get you again on monitor in an enormous manner. However the actuality is, until we are able to maintain 11 males on the pitch for 90 minutes, we’ll battle. I’m hoping that is only a freakish sort of run at first of the season that can right itself over the period of the marketing campaign, however a lot of that’s in our personal fingers.

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

Till then.