Arsenal produced a dismal performance as they slumped their first defeat of the season so far against Bournemouth on Saturday evening.
Arsenal were far from their best as they were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth in this Premier League clash.
William Saliba’s first half red card made the Gunners’ task all the trickier, before two second half strikes sealed all three points for the Cherries.
Mikel Arteta’s side lacked creativity throughout. Gabriel Martinelli missed an excellent chance, but beyond that, a midfield trio made up of Mikel Merino, Thomas Partey, and Declan Rice struggled to create any opportunities in the final third.
Hale End academy wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri was introduced to the fray in the 81st minute, and added some energy and excitement. At that stage, though, the North London club were already 2-0 down and Arteta’s use of the 17-year-old was too little, too late.
Arsenal fans rage at Mikel Arteta over Ethan Nwaneri role
Many Arsenal fans on X were enthused by what they saw from Nwaneri on Saturday, but feel that Arteta was far too cautious in waiting so long before turning to the teenager amidst what was a dreadful performance from his team.
One said: “Nwaneri should have started today , that midfield today was shocking zero creativity, that’s on Arteta today poor poor from the start.”
Another stated: “This Nwaneri cameo’s just making me even more angry. The game needed a proper #10 from the start, but Arteta went for 3 horsemen in midfield. Trusts him enough to play with 10 men but not enough to start. Funny.”
One fan claimed: “Nwaneri should have started today. And last week too. Especially after he won us the game against Leicester City. Arteta is sacrificing the entire balance of the team just to respect hierarchy.”
Another added: “Every time nwaneri comes on he looks amazing so why is he not being started ! We had such a negative midfield to start this game.”
What Arteta must do with Nwaneri now
Arsenal fans have been calling for Nwaneri to be handed more opportunities for some time now, and the time has come for Arteta to listen to their pleas.
With Martin Odegaard currently injured, the Gunners lack a creative hub in the middle of the park. Against Bournemouth, the full extent of the problem caused by the Norwegian playmaker’s absence was laid bare.
Despite his youth, Nwaneri has shown on several occasions now that he is ready to compete at the highest level, and this is now an Arsenal team in need of his influence.
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