Match report – Participant rankings – Arteta response – Video
Arsenal’s strong and unbeaten begin to the season continued with a 4-0 win over Bournemouth on the Vitality Stadium yesterday.
Regardless of pre-match considerations over accidents, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Bukayo Saka all began, and it was the latter who put us forward within the seventeenth minute. Eddie Nketiah drove by way of the opposition midfield effectively, Saka discovered Martin Odegaard whose cross to the again put up was headed off the wordwork by Gabriel Jesus. Saka was there to nod house the rebound to make it 1-0.
Not lengthy earlier than the break, we had a penalty when Nketiah was taken down within the field after a pleasant go from Zinchenko – it seemed as if Saka was going to take it, as an alternative he handed the ball to his captain who despatched Neto the mistaken approach as he rolled the ball contained in the put up for 2-0. The house aspect provided little, partially due to how organised and disciplined we had been, but in addition they had been simply very poor. At occasions, you possibly can kind of see what Andoni Iraola is attempting to do, however except it’s finished to perfection, it fits a staff like Arsenal.
In fact, a supervisor can do as a lot work as he likes on the coaching floor, however he can’t legislate for gamers making daft tackles. How Ryan Christie had the nerve to complain when he slid in on Odegaard I’ll by no means know. It was a stonewall penalty, and I used to be questioning whether or not the captain would step up once more or let Saka have a go this time. He appeared to seek the advice of with Gabriel Jesus, after which handed the ball to Kai Havertz.
Everybody understands the German has struggled to make an influence from an attacking perspective, and he badly wanted a aim, one thing to ease a few of that burden. With that got here some real strain although. What if he missed? A possible 3-0 stays 2-0, after which it is perhaps 2-1 in the event that they seize a aim after which the sport adjustments and what if one thing else occurs on the again they usually get one other one and it’s all of your fault and so on and so on. So, whereas a penalty in opposition to Bournemouth at 2-0 isn’t fairly like the ultimate one in a world cup remaining or something, it was an enormous second for him.
And he delivered, tucking the spot kick away very effectively. He did rating one within the Group Defend too, and each penalties he’s put away have been finished so with a conviction that’s maybe lacking from different points of his play. You can see how a lot it meant to him, and to his teammates. I believe dialogue of gamers is par for the course in soccer, however the reality senior gamers trusted him with it says one thing too.
Declan Rice was happy for him, and talking afterwards, Mikel Arteta mentioned:
I’m actually completely satisfied for the win however even happier to be a part of one thing, a part of a staff that exhibits the human qualities that they’ve proven in the present day, with out me telling them completely nothing to indicate that and that empathy in the direction of a participant that has some query marks to resolve externally, they received me much more in the present day, they’ve finished in a very pure approach, I’m delighted they’ve made that call, I’m so grateful to our supporters the best way they sang his title, have made him really feel in the best way he has felt in the present day and if there’s an individual in a dressing room that deserve that, it’s Kai Havertz. So completely satisfied for him.
Instantly after the aim, the away followers – who had been in unbelievable voice all day yesterday – began singing a Kai Havertz track and didn’t cease for ages. Hopefully the aim, the response, the assist, all of it helps – as a result of for me it boils all the way down to this: if Kai Havertz does effectively, then it will increase Arsenal’s possibilities of doing effectively. There’s nonetheless a lot to do, however this felt very very like a step in the appropriate route – and past that, only a actually pretty second for him and this group of gamers.
That was actually that by way of the end result. There was nothing from the house aspect, and Arteta made adjustments, with Reiss Nelson and Takehiro Tomiyasu approaching. Fabio Vieira then changed Saka who took a kick when blocking a shot and seemed in some discomfort. Maybe it’s a change that might have been made earlier with the end result kind of within the bag, however hopefully he’s okay.
Emile Smith Rowe got here on and seemed encouragingly harmful, forcing Neto into two excellent saves within the remaining levels, earlier than Ben White put the icing on the cake with a fourth aim – heading house from an Odegaard free kick. All in all, a effectively deserved win, and one other clear sheet on the highway. We’ve but to concede a aim away from house this season, one thing Arteta touched on afterwards:
It’s an enormous one, to win video games on this league, conserving clear sheets for us goes to be essential and away from house might be even larger and the problem is now can we take that into the Emirates as effectively and be constant.
With Man Metropolis subsequent up, that will be an excellent time to start out an analogous type of run at house. Their defeat to Wolves yesterday was clearly very welcome, honest play to The Korean Man for placing the nail of their coffin, Guardiola’s disrespect got here again to chew him there. United misplaced as effectively, which is at all times enjoyable, however the huge story from yesterday is extra shambolic officiating and an evidence that doesn’t sound in any respect convincing to me.
I’ll in all probability discuss it a bit extra on tomorrow’s weblog, however since Howard Webb took cost, requirements have dropped. Unbelievable actually, think about being worse than Mike Riley. One more meaningless apology will do nothing for Liverpool, and it led to a jammy winner for that lot, so it’s notably annoying. Anyway, little doubt there’ll be a lot extra to come back on that.
For now, we will calm down a bit after a superb win, and tomorrow we sit up for Champions League motion on Tuesday.
Have an important Sunday people.
