Ex-Arsenal player Groves baffled by one decision Arteta made v Bournemouth

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Former Arsenal winger Perry Groves has admitted to being baffled by one decision Mikel Arteta made against Bournemouth.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta got plenty right in the Gunners’ recent clash with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. The Spanish coach’s team selection and tactics meant his side were perfectly set up to secure a 4-0 victory against the south coast club.

It was a fantastic away day for the Gunners, with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, and Ben White all getting on the scoresheet. 

However, Perry Groves has now questioned one decision the manager made. Groves himself represented the north London club between 1986 and 1992, making over 200 appearances for the club and winning two league titles.

Discussing Arsenal’s win over Bournemouth on TalkSport, the 58-year-old expressed his regret that the likes of Saka and Gabriel Jesus weren’t taken off the pitch earlier in the game.

Groves highlights lack of Saka protection

Prior to the match, Arteta had suggested that Saka had been struggling with an injury issue, and had been unable to train, during the week. Despite this, the 22-year-old was still named in the starting XI to face the Cherries. He also stayed on the pitch until the 76th minutes, at which point he was forced off in pain.

The Gunners were 3-0 up with 53 minutes on the clock. By that stage, with the game as good as won, Groves wanted to see Saka taken off for his own protection. He said, “it’s the same injury where he got kicked obviously before. But he shouldn’t have been on the pitch. All Arsenal fans that are there are thinking, ‘Why’? You haven’t got to have passed your coaching badges to realise that you’ve got to protect your players.”

Arsenal fans will now be desperate for Saka to be fit and available for when Arsenal face off against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday. Even if the attacker is already fully recovered from the knock he sustained against Bournemouth, plenty will also want him to be rested for the Gunners’ Champions League clash with Lens on Tuesday evening.