At around 7.20pm yesterday I had just watched Arsenal fail to take a single point from a home match against Bournemouth and I had to produce a sensible report on it. I was quite angry or frustrated at the time – I wasn’t sure which, even during the game – at some of the things the players were doing yesterday but the longer it went on the clearer it became that the team as a whole is exhausted.
I went for a walk with the dog straight after the game – as I didn’t imagine anyone would be in a hurry to ‘read all about it’ – and I’m glad I did. The more space I take from the performance the less frustrated I feel. What I do feel is huge sympathy for the players who have given everything in impossible circumstances and still have to try to shore up a league season with a game of enormous importance in Paris just four days away (as of yesterday’s game).
While PSG were able to rest no fewer than 10 players yesterday, Arsenal’s lineup was pretty much as everyone expected because, with our continuing injury list, in a league we cannot win at walking pace, there was precious little choice to make. Ben White came in for the injured Jurrien Timber, and Mikel Merino was rested to the bench to protect him for the trip to Paris.
On Sky UK the commentary team of Stadtler and Waldorf – aka Rob Hawthorne and Alan Smith (more on him later) – were quickly into their routine of pulling the Arsenal to pieces as Bournemouth dominated possession in the first 10 minutes with their quick, aggressive style of play.
Arsenal’s first attack came on 14 minutes when some neat play saw Odegaard and Martinelli release Rice to shoot wide of the far post. That attack also illustrated Arsenal’s tactic – very similar to PSG – of pulling false 9, Trossard back into midfield so that Rice could run past him to become the focus of our attacks. It worked really well and, as Arsenal now dominated, provided further chances for Rice, Martinelli and Trossard who had a decent header saved on the line.
Bournemouth had their own chances when Evanilson headed over and Saliba halted Kluivert with a brilliantly timed tackle. On 33 minutes Saka found Partey who initiated a lovely vertical move through Odegaard to Rice who ran into the area, rounded the keeper and scored on his 100th appearance for the club.
HT Arsenal 1 – 0 Bournemouth
On the evidence of this first half showing Arsenal have to find another ‘6’ in order to release Declan Rice to play further forward and, with Jorginho leaving, they have to persuade Thomas Partey to sign a new deal / extension following his best season for the club by some distance.
The coaching team also have some work to do with David Raya who seems confused as to whether he is a goalkeeper or a playmaker. He almost got caught miles out of his goal again yesterday, just as he was against Crystal Palace. He is clearly being played as a sweeper- keeper but there have to be limits.
It was good to see Ben White back too who, despite the defensive qualities of Jurrien Timber, has been a big miss in that Saka, Ødegaard triangle.
The second half was a painful mix of missed chances, misplaced passes and players literally falling over under the weight of physical challenges they would normally win without fuss. Bukayo Saka curled a right foot shot wide of the far post from a chance he did well to make for himself. Not well enough for Alan Smith though, who continued his constant stream of negativity. Did I miss a falling out between him and the club, because he was firmly in Stewart Robson territory yesterday.
Semenyo entered the fray, surprisingly only as a substitute just after the hour, and it was his long throw that was flicked to Huijsen who outjumped our defence to head the visitors level, once again from their first attack on target.
Arsenal 1 – 1 Bournemouth
While waiting for a corner to be taken, following some awkward, hesitant work from Saliba and Partey, Rice was replaced by Merino. When eventually taken, the corner found its way to Evanilson at the far post. The ball bounced down off the striker’s arm – the only explanation, apart from some clearly visible video evidence (!) as to its sudden change of trajectory – onto the goal line where it was met by the despairing lunge of Raya who kneed it into his own net.
VAR took the prescribed age to study the footage and came to the conclusion that the evidence was inconclusive. In such instances, goals scored FOR Arsenal – for example, Havertz vs Villa – are disallowed. However, when goals are likewise scored AGAINST Arsenal, the rules change and the goal is allowed to stand. Please bin this joy sucking, farcical nonsense asap. Alan Smith, of course, opined that it was “fair enough – the right thing to do”. Ahem ! There are 30 new cameras at the Emirates to assist the current iteration of VAR but they couldn’t come up with one clear view of that goal line incident. Except, of course, the one we all spotted!
Arsenal 1 – 2 Bournemouth
There was a late flurry of substitutions on 85 minutes – Zinchenko, Nwaneri and Sterling replacing White, Saka and Martinelli – who saw out the 6 minutes of added time to no avail and the three points we were banking on were lost.
And so …..
There has been the usual criticism of our substitutions. The fact is that our subs would have made little difference. Nwaneri is a great talent who has seemingly played out of his normal position covering for Saka during his time out with injury. The restrictions on his natural game when marked by a touchline have temporarily blunted the impact he made initially. He will come again. Zinchenko, on the other hand, will not. There is a reason why he doesn’t play. My own opinion is that he is slow, a poor defender, often over fussy in his play and slows the team down. He can be a bit of a sulker too. More importantly, Mikel Arteta clearly does not see enough in him to put him on the pitch. Otherwise, when we are desperately short of experienced players, he would.
After the game Mikel Arteta said the result had generated a lot of anger, rage and frustration that must now be taken forwards into our game against PSG. I only hope the players, many of whom are running on fumes, can muster the energy to go with it.
We have suffered from every conceivable angle this season and the players we have are, I believe, mentally and physically spent. They will get no criticism from me.
A fine and very fair summary, Trev. There was much about that game that was dispiriting but context is absolutely critical. Take the players who start for the Brazilian (3), German (1), Italian (1), Japanese (1), Norwegian (1), Italian (1), Spanish (1) and English (1/2) national teams out of ANY team in the world for extensive hospitalisation, including surgery, and over the course of a demanding season that team will not perform at its peak. Imagine Liverpool minus Egypt (1).
In harmony with Jackson Browne’s fine song, this team is currently Running On Empty with several tough hurdles still to be overcome. They need all the support that the folks who Arsenal prefer to sell tickets to in preference to me can muster. Hopefully they’ll leave the brickbats at the door and keep the brickbat fingers off their keyboards.
We’ve have had shocking bad luck and seen some truly perplexing Arsenal ONLY decisions this season – and yesterday brought another. That we’re still second in the League and playing for a place in the CL final deserves recognition, appreciation and applause, not criticism of the manager or the players.
Can we do better. Of course. Life’s for learning.
Win in Paris.
NLFE
On the money, Trev. We can only hope the occasion will coax out some last dregs of energy to bring a victory in Paris.
Well done Trev. The team is spent. It’s been such a tough season and we haven’t got enough players fit at the moment, so although it was a disappointing result I think you’ve said as much as needs saying about the performance.
Blogs was at pains today to point out that we lost due to our own faults. He has a much bigger readership than this site does but it’s a shame he has to write in anticipation of the critical response of Arsenal fans if he goes too heavy in making the point that VAR has allowed a blatant handball to stand as a goal.
Last week VAR intervened to send Evanilson off, which cost Bournemouth 2 points against Manure, only to have the decision overturned midweek.
VAR is supposed to overturn on-field errors. Instead, it changed a correct on-field decision into an error and was overturned by people with exactly the same replays as VAR used.
It really is shambolic and it’s become a big problem. One that will be entirely ignored.
I was at the match unlike a lot of erstwhile regular supporters who seem to have lost interest in attending . It was very disappointing. I entirely agree our players are very tired and a number are carrying injuries . Ben White is nowhere near match fit . Thank goodness he isn’t likely to face the best left winger in world football currently , next week .
A proper review of the season is best undertaken when all is played out. We need to qualify for the Champions League ( if we didn’t it would derail everything) and then take stock . Mistakes were made in the summer, our squad is not big or diverse enough but we have a fine coach, some brilliant players and we have achieved some magnificent things in Europe this year….and more may be to come
Yesterday I agree with Trev that the team selection was about as good as we could manage in the circumstances . Nwaneri might have come on earlier and I can’t see the point of Sterling coming on at all. We desperately miss Gabriel. It’s no coincidence that we conceded two set piece goals in his absence . Kiwior is a lovely passer of the football but he is nowhere near as good a defender as Gabriel. I thought Rice was superb, Partey played intelligently but things aren’t coming off for Odegaard despite him trying his heart out .
Let us hope for a miracle in Paris and then hope we can accumulate the points necessary to help us fire up for next season
One final point re Smudger . I didn’t go to the AISA meeting where he was guest of honour but apparently he admitted privately that he leans over backwards to be neutral. I suspect he’s gone beyond neutrality into ultra critical mode . Sky won’t care they hate Arsenal- and apparently there are 215 games on next season !
GSD@3: I have gradually swung from the view that VAR should be an inherent good that will lead to fewer wrong decisions to why should I think that the people who make poor refs should make any more competent VARs — which I think to your credit was your view from the outset.
Ned, I think that was everyone’s view after week one – if not before.
TTG@4: Lee Dixon seems to be able to maintain even-handed neutrality when working as a commentator on Arsenal games. He could have passed for Trev in his measured colour commentary on the Bournemouth game. He certainly pointed out the mistakes that were being made individually and collectively by those in red and white, but he didn’t pile on an arbitrary single point of blame, which seems to be the Sky modus operandi. When Martinelli dragged a good chance wide in the first half, he explained how Martinelli had got his body position wrong; no ranting that Gabi should have scored (even if he should at least got the shot on target), or, in that commentator’s phase that I hate, ‘that’s not good enough, for me’.
Trev@6: You are probably right. Scales fall slowly at my age…
Excellent report thanks Trev.
Thanks Trev, a true reflection of match itself and its surrounding ramifications. The players have hit the proverbial brick wall and Bournemouth were able to comfortably coast once they went ahead. Interminable injuries, poor squad building and erratic refereeing decisions have all taken their toll. The players are still trying their hardest but are treading on water – let’s hope they can somehow raise their level in the remaining mstches.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thenonnegotiables/p/ranked-the-four-reasons-why-arsenal?r=pgn73&utm_medium=ios
A very good summary of our season so far
TTG@11: Thanks for the link. A fair assessment of the season so far, as you say.
One interesting question it raises is why Salah and van Dijk can play almost every minute of the season without getting exhausted?
Thanks for the link TTG – I certainly think that is a detailed and fair assessment of our travails this season. In my opinion the current “falling off” of late is down to exhaustion, losing too many key players during the season to long term injuries with a lack of suitable replacements which in turn has been caused by poor recruitment over the past 2 transfer windows. This summers player transactions will be crucial.
With regard to Ned’s question on the number of minutes played by Salah & VVD I think it is due to the way their team is set up. Both player’s minimise the areas of the pitch in which they operate thus reducing their mileage incurred. Salah rarely ventures back into his own half – he awaits quick balls into space in the opponents half where his speed can be quite effective. He is not required to trail back and assist the full back with defensive duties such as Martinelli. Likewise VVD patrols his area and upto the half way line – he reads the game well so minimises his leg work. He also has a dominant pressing midfield which offer a good level of protection. Well this is my impression- are their any published stats which back up this perception?
A very fair review of events, Trev. You encapsulate my feelings exactly.
We fielded what we had, some of whom were clearly not 100% fit, in the hope of winning three points and buffering our 2nd place position but ran out of steam in the second half. There was no lack of effort but there was clear lack of energy in the second half and there was a distinct lack of game changing options on the bench. Our cumulative injuries throughout this season have caught up with us now causing an inability to rest key players as a result of attrition throughout the squad compounded by the relentless competitiveness of every league game. Frankly, it’s a miracle that the team is in the position it is in, second in the league, for the time being, and in the semi-final of the CL with all to play for. Much of the criticism on social media targeted on the manager and several of our players displays an astonishing degree of self-entitlement and crass stupidity.
I fear that mental and physical exhaustion may impair our team’s ability to win the away leg of the SF in Paris though I hope that our focus on this competition, the proximity of the prize and our anger and frustration at events that torpedoed our league challenge this season will generate reserves of energy and creativity that will carry us to victory.
It was only a couple of weeks ago that we found the energy to batter Real Madrid home and away. Let’s do this!
COYG!
Uply@13: The common sense test says you are right about centre halves. In all competitions (excluding international games) this season, Saliba has played 4,241 minutes across 48 games and van Dijk 4,257 minutes across 47 games. PL data shows that centre backs also run, on average, the least of any position except goalkeepers (9.4 kms in PL games).
The PL put out a stat after March Week 29 that van Dijk spent 76.5% of his playing time walking, not running. No number for Saliba, unfortunately, as the PL listed only the top five (van Dijk was second after Wolves’ Cunha). By the by, that PL article also revealed that Raya is the fastest goalkeeper in the Premier League, with a top speed of 32.7 km/h, which means he can out sprint Merino, who is one of the five slowest outfielders in the PL with a recorded top speed of 29.8 km/h (which is hardly slow: it is around a 12 seconds 100 metres).
Some proxy data to back up your Salah v Martinelli hypothesis. Martinelli makes 1.75 times as many tackles in the defensive third per game as Salah, and Saka makes over twice as many. Martinelli makes 1.36 times as many defensive interceptions and tackles as Salah, and Saka, again, over twice as many. Martinelli makes 4.7 times as many clearances as Salah, and Saka makes 3.4 times as many. That all upholds your view that Salah doesn’t defend in anything like the volume that our wingers do. There was also a big all-European leagues CES study in 2021 that showed, not surprisingly, that wingers run less per game the older they get.
Spot on report, Trev. The weight of the at best dubious refereeing/VAR, combined with the huge serious injury list – has scuppered our season.
I have to disagree on a couple points though. Firstly VAR. The problem is not the technology. It is the implementation. If you take the same cabal of biased referees currently officiating and put them in charge of the technology, why would you expect a different outcome? They both need to publicly accountable as well. What hakes them special?
Secondly- Alan Smith. He has been very sour for years towards Arsenal yet is never called out. He has a basic facility with written English, and was able – a little like Andy’s Fraser in Cricket – to pivot to journalism. He could have provided us with the holy grail of football journalism – a former exponent who can genuinely provide insight into the game and illuminate us with tactical and technical expertise. Instead he has simply taken a seat at the trough and become another of the Team Sky anti-Arsenal brigade. Add to that his nasal drone in commentary and I’m afraid I have taken to simply ignoring or indeed turning the volume down.
Angus, not Andy’s!
CER – completely agree. My point on VAR was that there are 30 new cameras so there must surely be a clear view of the incident – most / all of us even saw one perfectly clear angle. So, other than by choice, how was the VAR unable to find conclusive evidence ?
Through the manner of its implementation and the individuals tasked with its use, VAR has become a performative dramatisation of the authority of PGMOL and a further demonstration of the frailties of its functionaries.
There have always been bad referees whose decision making was consistently erratic or appeared to be simply based on guesswork rather than a careful analysis of the available facts. Indeed there are of course individuals like that in every walk of life – you can almost certainly think of a few. I forget who said that every profession is a conspiracy against the laity but putting in charge of VAR the same group of people that make the on-field decisions and allowing them, if you will, to mark their buddies’ homework, is doubling down on that phenomenon. The technology is not at fault, the same muppets who are unreliable with a whistle are proving themselves even more unreliable with a computer.
The latest GHF Predictathon leaderboard has been posted. It is getting tighter at the top, and there is change and change about in the relegation zone. You know where to find it.
>>>>>>>