Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal Player ratings and match reaction

[HCZ_Reborn]

But to put things in proper perspective, I still think we’d have won with 11 players on the pitch. And I still think we have a fantastic chance to win the league given City’s most important player is out for the season and it’s clearly noticeable that without him they are struggling to beat teams. However we have made ridiculous hard work for ourselves with a paucity of attacking quality where we are clearly struggling without Odegaard and even more so without Saka.

Liverpool is going to be hard without Saliba, and Newcastle and Chelsea are going to be bloody hard as well and after this weekend, I don’t think we can afford to lose any of those games

[Mac76]

Literally in the PFA team of the season last year
Holy over-reaction, Batman!


You could say the same last season - many people did. Given the early fixtures we're doing OK.
7 points from Spurs, Villa and City away isn't to be sniffed it - we absolutely didn't pub it in the last of those, they had to cheat us and keep playing with us down to 10 till City scored to get a point.
The cards are stacked against us, and we're still in contention. Let's not panic just yet.

Generally agreed although If Watkins hadn't lost his scoring boots the VIlla game would've been tougher

that said the league is clearly an impossibility as the refs have decided we aren't going to have a ghost of a chance

[Letters]

Although he’s not entirely incorrect about us pubbing things somewhat.

I'm not saying he is. I'm just pointing out that people were saying the same at the start of last season. They weren't wrong then either. But we got it together and had we not been facing a billionare-fueled juggernaut we'd have won the title easily last season. The big issue this year is injuries, we're not having much luck there so far and it's starting to hurt us.

[IBK]

An awful game from us.

It worries me that having gone into the season feeling like we had a decent squad, it's becoming clear that there is a damaging drop off when certain players (Saka; Odegard; Saliba) do not play.

I get that most teams drop a level when their best players are missing, but in games like these (and against Southampton and Leicester for large periods) we seem to lose our identity.

This is partly down to the manager's decisions. Arteta seems to have got into a habit of sacrificing attacking intent for playing a 'fine margins' game based on defensive solidity without Odegard available. It was noticable for me on Saturday that there was very little playmaking/verticality. The shape and personnel were all wrong. Partey was played too deep given the selection of Merino and Rice (despite the latter having a few surging runs) our MF was stodgy. On the right Sterling was powder puff before he went off, and Trossard (our worst player) should not be on the wing - his skills are better utilised inside...and maybe he should even have been played up front with Havertz playing behind him.

Without Trossard playing more centrally and Saka absent it was shocking how peripheral Havertz was. Without Saka delivering corners - our much vaunted set piece ability was non-existent and we were totally shown up by Bournemouth's inventiveness and execution when they scored from their opportunity.

More worryingly, the whole team seemed to lack confidence and insisiveness. We reverted to an all too familiar pattern of sideways and back passing, and missed passes. Bournemouth are a good defensive team and made it look easy to keep us out.

After the sending off we treated Bournemouth with too much respect in terms of any attacking intent, and looked jittery throughout. I wonder whether as well as working out how to perfect a low block against us, teams have worked out ways to deal with the defensive challenges that we pose. We have now conceded 5 goals against teams that wehen we played them were in the bottom third of the league.

I accept that the sendings off (mostly harsh but also self-inflicted) stifle any game plan, but I wonder also whether Arteta's mindset is too cautious; and his forward game too dependent on key individuals and 'moments'. Set pieces should be a bonus way of scoring goals rather than a 'go to', and we are seeing a continued pattern of failing to convert chances going forwards and an alarming development of lapses when it comes to solidity at the back.

Timber aside, we largely enjoyed a charmed life last season with key injuries. This season they are presenting a problem that the manager seems to be struggling to solve.

I'm not trying to be alarmist after a bad result, but the standard that we need to attain if we are to be champions is very high, and I'm not convinced that (even in games that we have won) we are currently looking like we are going to have what it takes to do this. Are we not quite as good - both in terms of mindset and ability - as we all thought?

[HCZ_Reborn]

I'm not saying he is. I'm just pointing out that people were saying the same at the start of last season. They weren't wrong then either. But we got it together and had we not been facing a billionare-fueled juggernaut we'd have won the title easily last season. The big issue this year is injuries, we're not having much luck there so far and it's starting to hurt us.

Injuries don’t help but the main problem is lack of squad options in attacking positions. There is at this moment in time no one who is suitable to play up front if Havertz is injured, that’s absolutely insane. Jesus can’t hold the ball up, Trossard isn’t a striker…so who are we left with.

This is why we are best placed to be cautious and hope for a point, by going defensive when we are down to ten men. We simply don’t have the quality to get the goal without massively getting exposed at the back where we’ve pushed up.

[HCZ_Reborn]

An awful game from us.

It worries me that having gone into the season feeling like we had a decent squad, it's becoming clear that there is a damaging drop off when certain players (Saka; Odegard; Saliba) do not play.

I get that most teams drop a level when their best players are missing, but in games like these (and against Southampton and Leicester for large periods) we seem to lose our identity.

This is partly down to the manager's decisions. Arteta seems to have got into a habit of sacrificing attacking intent for playing a 'fine margins' game based on defensive solidity without Odegard available. It was noticable for me on Saturday that there was very little playmaking/verticality. The shape and personnel were all wrong. Partey was played too deep given the selection of Merino and Rice (despite the latter having a few surging runs) our MF was stodgy. On the right Sterling was powder puff before he went off, and Trossard (our worst player) should not be on the wing - his skills are better utilised inside...and maybe he should even have been played up front with Havertz playing behind him.

Without Trossard playing more centrally and Saka absent it was shocking how peripheral Havertz was. Without Saka delivering corners - our much vaunted set piece ability was non-existent and we were totally shown up by Bournemouth's inventiveness and execution when they scored from their opportunity.

More worryingly, the whole team seemed to lack confidence and insisiveness. We reverted to an all too familiar pattern of sideways and back passing, and missed passes. Bournemouth are a good defensive team and made it look easy to keep us out.

After the sending off we treated Bournemouth with too much respect in terms of any attacking intent, and looked jittery throughout. I wonder whether as well as working out how to perfect a low block against us, teams have worked out ways to deal with the defensive challenges that we pose. We have now conceded 5 goals against teams that wehen we played them were in the bottom third of the league.

I accept that the sendings off (mostly harsh but also self-inflicted) stifle any game plan, but I wonder also whether Arteta's mindset is too cautious; and his forward game too dependent on key individuals and 'moments'. Set pieces should be a bonus way of scoring goals rather than a 'go to', and we are seeing a continued pattern of failing to convert chances going forwards and an alarming development of lapses when it comes to solidity at the back.

Timber aside, we largely enjoyed a charmed life last season with key injuries. This season they are presenting a problem that the manager seems to be struggling to solve.

I'm not trying to be alarmist after a bad result, but the standard that we need to attain if we are to be champions is very high, and I'm not convinced that (even in games that we have won) we are currently looking like we are going to have what it takes to do this. Are we not quite as good - both in terms of mindset and ability - as we all thought?

I have no thoughts other than I very much agree with this, I think City being without Rodri is a massive blow to them. But it feels like away from home, the emphasis is on keeping other teams out first and foremost and hoping for an opportunity the other end as you say.

Set pieces should be a Trump card not a go to. I think that if we are still in contention in January, we need to go into the market to sign a striker.