Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was extremely disappointed after his side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth.
The Gunners were nowhere near their best and were deservedly beaten by Andoni Iraola’s side, who extended their unbeaten run to 12 games.
Injuries are an issue, and Arsenal’s creativity once again let them down. That is a concern for Arteta, but what will be an even bigger worry is how they are losing their physical battles.
Iraola pointed that out after the game.
Who was Arsenal’s worst performer against Bournemouth?
Mikel Arteta will be embarrassed as Andoni Iraola explains how Bournemouth beat Arsenal
One of Mikel Arteta’s biggest demands from his players is to win duels.
The Arsenal manager has always emphasised the importance of those battles as well as control over second balls, and his side were poor on both fronts today.
Iraola, who comes from the same region of Spain as Arteta, made his team take advantage of that, and he feels that won his side the game.
He said, as per Sky Sports: “Pressing is one of our strengths. Playing against Arsenal, and Man United the other day, they give us chances to recover the ball.
“Sometimes you play against teams that go direct early, and you cannot play this cat-and-mouse game. If you go man to man, they will go direct. We leave them a little bit and then go, sometimes it works, sometimes you want to keep an extra man at the back.
“Sometimes it’s a matter of a duel, one-v-one. If you win that, it’s a chance for you, and if you lose, a chance for them. It’s a high-risk, high-reward game.
“In most of the situations, I think we won a lot of the duels. We were the ones benefiting more.”
Arteta will surely feel embarrassed after hearing Iraola’s comments because his compatriot just beat him in his own game.
What do you think of Arsenal fans booing their own team vs Bournemouth?
Mikel Arteta needs to have a serious conversation with Arsenal players
Alarm bells must be ringing in Arteta’s head because the performance against Bournemouth was just not good enough. It was the same in the defeats to Manchester City and Southampton as well.
Being inefficient in duels and second balls will be the most concerning part for the Arsenal boss because that is one of his most basic principles.
Whenever the Gunners are on top of their game, they win most of their duels and second balls. By doing so, they suffocate their opponents in the final third and force them to make a mistake.
If Arsenal want to win the Premier League title, that needs to happen, which is why Arteta needs to have a serious conversation with his players.
He may need to shout “When I lose a duel, I’m upset” a few times because all the players need to understand that heading into the final six league games of the season.
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