ESPN pundit Steve Nicol has slammed Arsenal for a lack of professionalism in their win over Bournemouth.
Arsenal cruised to a 4-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Gunners were firmly in control throughout the entire match and were never especially threatened by the south coast club.
Such was the extent of their dominance, when they were awarded a penalty and the chance to score a third goal, the Arsenal players elected to let Kai Havertz take the spot kick. The 24-year-old German duly stepped up and opened his account for the north London club.
Havertz has struggled to find his best form, and has been criticised at times, following his £65 million arrival from Chelsea in the recent summer transfer window. The Gunners will be hoping that this goal has boosted his confidence and that he can now kick on and start to shine on a regular basis.
However, Steve Nicol has criticised the decision to let the 39-cap Germany international take the penalty. Speaking on ESPN, the former Liverpool defender said, “if Arsenal’s life depends on it, Saka takes it or Odegaard takes it. Havertz doesn’t take it. So at 2-0 the game’s not over. It’s a lack of professionalism.”
“What happens if he misses it and Bournemouth get two late goals? That’s not what you do. If you’re the coach of a team and allow that things like that to happen, then it spreads into other things. You have to be precise. And orders are orders.”
“Do you think him scoring a goal there is going to make any difference to the way he plays in the middle of the park? No, it’s not. It’s unprofessional.”
Arteta backs Havertz call
Despite Nicol’s concerns, Mikel Arteta was delighted with the decision to let Havertz take the spot kick. It was a call made by his players on the pitch, and after the match the Spanish coach said, “they [the players] take initiative and they take the leadership to make those calls. I haven’t asked them, I imagine Bukayo has to take it so first of all he gives it to Martin and then he gave it to Kai, it doesn’t really matter, the beauty is in the gesture,” as quoted by the club’s official website.
The decision paid off, the goal was scored, and there will be now be a hope that Havertz can kick on from this moment. He has looked short on confidence in recent weeks, and this may prove to be just what he needed.
The Arsenal players certainly weren’t intending to show any disrespect to Bournemouth by allowing Havertz to take the penalty. It’s not as if they called up David Raya from between the sticks to have a go at scoring. Havertz is a player who has spent much of his career playing up front, and has previously scored the winner in a Champions League final. There is nothing unprofessional about him taking a penalty.
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