One Arsenal player has come under fire after the Gunners’ disappointing defeat to Bournemouth.
Mikel Arteta’s side had their unbeaten start to the season shattered by the Cherries, who won 2-0 at the Vitality.
Arsenal had the opportunity to go top of the Premier League table ahead of their trip to Anfield on match day nine, a chance squandered on the South Coast.
From William Saliba’s sending off to Gabriel Martinelli’s missed chance, it was an afternoon to forget for the Gunners, with a mass of criticism heading Arteta’s way.
- READ MORE: Five things we learned as Arsenal’s unbeaten run ended at Bournemouth, Arteta gives up on player
Tony Cascarino makes Kai Havertz claim after Arsenal defeat to Bournemouth
It was a dreadful afternoon for Arsenal, who showed little sign of threatening the Cherries, which was arguably a bigger issue than being down to 10 men.
In the wake of the defeat, pundit Tony Cascarino shared his verdict on what went wrong for Arteta’s side, sharing his opinion on Kai Havertz in the process.
“Havertz does a job for Arsenal, he is a talented lad in many different ways. Is he a solution down the middle? I don’t think so,” Cascarino said on talkSPORT.
The former Chelsea forward then compared the performance of Havertz against Bournemouth to that of Dominic Solanke, who impressed in Tottenham’s win over West Ham.
“I was at Tottenham yesterday, Solanke literally was a battering ram. He led the line brilliantly, he brought other players into the game.
“I think Havertz is more technical than Solanke but I think as an actual centre-forward that brings everyone up the pitch, I think Solanke does it way better after watching Havertz yesterday.”
Havertz brings a lot to Arsenal’s front line, as seen against Bournemouth as he was the constant target from goal kicks and hopeful balls upfield.
In games like the one that played out at the Vitality, the forward is less efficient, but that is little fault of his own given how his side were instructed to play.
Arsenal suffered going forward against Bournemouth
Arteta’s decision to play three defensive midfielders against Bournemouth will be widely questioned in the inquest into the defeat.
Arsenal’s lack of creative spark was then reduced even further by Saliba’s red card, as the manager did not opt to bolster his side’s options to win the game, but implemented even more of a defensive approach.
As a result, the front line suffered, with Havertz being one of those who attempted to make things happen to no avail.
Cascarino’s comparison between the two players was valid based on an overview of the weekend’s action; however, taken out of that respect, his opinion carries little weight.
It was a bad day at the office for Arsenal, and a result that Arteta will have to dissect sufficiently ahead of the looming trip to Anfield.
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