Regardless of whether it’s just a wobble or a full-blown crisis, Arsenal have now lost three of their last four games in all competitions, following Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth.
The Gunners went into the Premier League unbeaten in eight games and returned to winning ways in midweek in the Champions League, but were second to a Cherries side who had a strong start from the off.
In fact, it was the visitors who took a deserved early lead through teenage sensation Eli Junior Crupi, before a handball from Ryan Christie gave Victor Goqueres a chance to equalize soon after.
However, Mikel Arteta’s side were still unable to take the lead despite making a number of changes in the second half, and it was ultimately the dazzling Alex Scott who sealed the match with a dominant late finish.
The Englishman was allowed to waltz clear past Martin Zvimendi outside the area, but the Spaniard endured another difficult play in the middle.
Martin Zvimendi is a big problem for Arsenal
Whether it’s just tired legs or not, Arsenal’s £60m signing has looked the same in recent weeks and months and is memorable for enduring a difficult game at Wembley. After struggling to take control of the match, he posted a poor passing accuracy of 70%.
Perhaps his struggles will be exposed when contrasted with the talismanic presence of Declan Rice at his side, but while the England star is doing everything he can to drag the Gunners towards the title, Zvimendi is doing nothing.
Not only was the 27-year-old caught napping for Scott’s winner, but he also sent an errant pass out of play before Bournemouth’s opener, one of 12 times he lost the ball on the day.
As in the Carabao Cup final, Arsenal’s midfield metronome gave them no sense of control in the midfield pivot, with a passing accuracy of just 76% and wins in just five of the 11 matches played.
Against the likes of Scott, the former Real Sociedad man could not find a way to energize Arteta’s front line, failing to register any significant passes or completing a single dribble, leaving in the 76th minute.
For comparison, the aforementioned Rice provided two key passes, completed 100% of his attempted dribbles, and won 100% of his ground duels, all while boasting a much better passing rate of 86%.
The two midfielders are like chalk and cheese at the moment. However, it would be unfair to think that they are the only problem facing Arteta in this turbulent title race.
Worse than Zvimendi – Arsenal star needs to be replaced after Bournemouth
It’s been a week that has seen reports of a potential move for Paris Saint-Germain sensation Hviča Kvaratschelia, but it hasn’t been a positive battle for the Gunners’ current winger squad.
The next player, Kuvaratschelia, has already agreed to sign with Arsenal in 2027.
Arsenal may already have an exciting attacking acumen ahead of the game against the Emirates.
Arsenal’s Mr Champions League Gabriel Martinelli is back to par at Premier League level with a frankly lackluster performance against Andoni Iraola’s side after scoring an impressive assist in the away game in Lisbon in midweek.
Kai Havertz’s main contribution to the winner against Sporting CP took the Brazilian to a maximum of eight goals and assists in just 10 games in Europe, but only half of that was in the top flight, and he never seemed to have any chance of surpassing Saturday’s tally.
He may not have been to blame for Arsenal’s defensive failures, but the 24-year-old’s 54 minutes played looked grim statistically, with him registering just eight touches in total in his appearances on the left.
That included Martinelli completing only three passes, losing the ball four times and not even attempting a single dribble.
Arsenal player rating vs B’mouth | |
|---|---|
player | evaluation |
GK – Raya | 5/10 |
RB – White | 4/10 |
CB – Saliba | 5/10 |
CB – Gabriel | 7/10 |
LB – Lewis Skelly | 6/10 |
CM – Zvimendi | 4/10 |
CM – Rice | 8/10 |
RW – Duke | 5/10 |
AM – Havertz | 4/10 |
LW – Martinelli | 3/10 |
ST – Gokeres | 7/10 |
Defensively, the long-time speedster also proved to be out of form, failing to win a single duel or tackle, but it was no surprise to see his numbers rise early in the second half.
At such a critical time in the season, such an anonymous performance is completely unacceptable. Arteta’s biggest problem remains the lack of end product from up front.
In their last four games in all competitions, the North Londoners have currently only scored three goals, two of which have been scored by Gokeres, with Martinelli and Noni Madueke having one and two goals respectively in the top flight this season.
Of course, all is not lost and there is no guarantee that Manchester City will capitalize on this latest setback, but if Arteta is to get this title bid back on track, something needs to change in attack.
With such a poor performance, Martinelli shouldn’t be trusted to compete again during the run-in.
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