Arsenal suffered defeat for the first time in six months in the Premier League against Bournemouth.
The Gunners went to the Vitality in search of three points, however, left with nothing as the Cherries won 2-0.
Mikel Arteta would not have liked what he saw from his side, who looked lacklustre from the off, with the performance level not helped by William Saliba’s sending off.
The centre-back was dismissed after 30 minutes due to denying a goal-scoring opportunity, seeing Arsenal have to manage with 10 men for the third time this campaign.
- READ MORE: Five things we learned as Arsenal’s unbeaten run ended at Bournemouth, Arteta gives up on player
Concern over Arsenal’s lack of depth raised
Arteta has an issue when it comes to indiscipline in his side however, the Bournemouth result presented an even greater dilemma for the boss to consider.
When reflecting on the defeat, journalist Amy Lawrence pinpointed the lack of attacking depth that the Spaniard has at his disposal, focusing on the impact of Bukayo Saka’s absence.
“That midfield might have been better if Bukayo Saka had been playing,” Lawrence said on The Athletic’s Handbrake Off podcast.
“That was hugely problematic when you’ve got that midfield and then what’s in front of it, there wasn’t enough dynamism or pace. So that emphasised that in quite an unhelpful way.”
When dissecting the result to navigate what went wrong for the Gunners at the Vitality, the Arsenal expert honed in on the gap that is currently between Arteta’s starters and squad players.
“Unfortunately, the gap between the best and the cover players is not quite the same, it’s too big a gap.
“It wasn’t a great advert for what Raheem Sterling offers to the side, you look to someone like that as someone who has been brought in to do the business when Saka’s not there, hopefully, there will be a lot more to come from him.
“He did alright, but he didn’t threaten.”
Arteta’s attention must have been drawn to Arsenal’s lack of presence in the final third against the Cherries even before the visitors were forced to play with 10 men.
Bukayo Saka injury update and impact on fixtures
Lawrence’s comments hammer home the importance of Arteta’s favoured XI being fit and ready to compete, as Saka was sorely missed against Bournemouth.
The winger picked up a hamstring injury on international duty, with the manager sharing an update on his fitness ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Arteta confirmed that Saka is close to returning to action, with there a possibility that the winger could be in contention for the European match-up on Tuesday night.
- READ MORE: Mikel Arteta faced one problem for the first time since February 2021, it led to Arsenal defeat
After seeing what was missing against the Cherries, it’s a significant relief for Arsenal, who face some trialling fixtures over their next six games, emphasising the need for key players like Saka to be restored.
The issue rings true, however, as Arsenal were glaringly weakened due to the 23-year-old’s absence, making it a possible stumbling block when it comes to challenging for the Premier League title.
Manchester City for example have a list of high-calibre attackers on standby if needed, something Arteta is incredibly far from having when revising the drop in level against Bournemouth.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
