Match day eight of the Premier League season didn’t go as planned for Arsenal, who lost against Bournemouth.
Mikel Arteta’s side were well beaten by the Cherries on Saturday evening, as Arsenal failed to threaten the hosts.
The Gunners were without 11 men for over half of the match following William Saliba’s red card on the half hour mark.
It was an evening to forget for the North Londoners, who failed to take the opportunity to go top of the Premier League table.
Gabriel Martinelli’s miss against Bournemouth
While it was a below par performance from Arsenal, there were still chances for the Gunners to win the game, none better than the one that left Gabriel Martinelli’s boot.
The Brazilian was through on goal when the scoreline read 0-0 however, was unable to get the better of Kepa Arrizabalaga to the disappointment of many.
It was a dire miss from the winger, who was put through on goal with a clear chance to give his side the lead, with his effort far from clinical.
After the fixture, former Gunner Theo Walcott shared his opinion on Martinelli’s opportunity, calling for the 23-year-old to improve his finishing in crucial moments.
“This is the side of Martinelli that we always feel he could improve, these opportunities which he practises endlessly.
“For me, he gives the goalkeeper very clear where he is going to go straightaway. He opens his body too soon, the near post was the finish,” Walcott said.
Arsenal urged to sign a goalscorer in the summer transfer window
Perhaps the most prominent factor of Walcott’s feedback on Martinelli’s chance to win the game was the former winger’s assessment of such opportunities with regard to the title race.
“Look, if Arsenal are to win the league, it’s a massive moment not just for Arsenal but for Martinelli himself,” Walcott explained, hammering home the importance of making chances count.
After eight games played, Arsenal have won five and drawn two, with almost every game presenting an instance of a missed opportunity to score.
Martinelli was just another example of that, an example of the lack of finishing ability Arteta has available to him in attack.
The likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, who look to be Arsenal’s title rivals, have several figures capable of acting clinically in crucial situations, something that Arteta is lacking.
It only reinforces the decision not to pursue a striker in the summer transfer window, despite there being strong calls to Edu and Arteta to recruit a proven goalscorer.
Arsenal do have an abundance of talent in attack, but very few that could be relied on when a goal has to be scored.
The Bournemouth result only emphasised that, with Martinelli unable to convert a chance that could have won the game, instead, no points were earned.
A sense of what if is in the air regarding the situation of signing a poacher in the summer transfer window, as Arsenal fell short on the South Coast.
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