“Don’t blame Saliba and Kiwior, at least they showed courage and commitment, blame this guy instead for ending our unbeaten streak “- Arsenal Legend Patrick Vieira puts blame on ‘horrible’ Arsenal player who was poor both defensively and offensively last night against Bournemouth and had 3/10 rating
Move over Kiwior & Saliba: 5/10 star also cost Arsenal vs Bournemouth
Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the 2024/25 Premier League season came crashing to a halt against Bournemouth on Saturday evening.
The Gunners suffered a calamitous 2-0 defeat to the Cherries on the South Coast, to leave them reeling on 17 points, with Manchester City and top-of-the-table Liverpool having the chance to extend their leads on Sunday.
It was a game that many thought should have been a routine win for Mikel Arteta’s side, against a side managed by his childhood friend Andoni Iraola. However, a first-half red card for William Saliba meant the Gunners had an uphill battle to get anything from their trip to the Vitality Stadium.
Ryan Christie opened the scoring for the Cherries in the second period, getting on the end of a well-worked set-piece routine. Their lead was doubled after Justin Kluivert converted from the penalty spot, a kick won by Evanilson after he was fouled by David Raya.
It was a very disappointing day’s work for Arteta and his side, who missed the chance to go top of the Premier League table and apply pressure to their title rivals. There were certainly some poor performances throughout from the Gunners.
Arsenal’s poor performers vs. Bournemouth
Two of the players who had a particularly poor outing in an Arsenal shirt on Saturday night were Saliba and Jakub Kiwior. French centre-back Saliba cost his side dearly, hauling down Evanilson inside the Gunners half.
The Brazilian was chasing a loose backpass from Leandro Trossard and was dragged down by the Arsenal number two, who was the last man and therefore deemed to be denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
His short half-hour performance against the Cherries earned him a 4/10 rating by Football London journalist Kaya Kaynak. He claimed Saliba ‘seemed to panic’ when the former Porto striker ran in behind him.
Kiwior came on to replace Raheem Sterling, who was sacrificed following the Frenchman’s red card. He never really looked settled in the game, as his Sofascore stats suggest. The Poland international completed just 76% of his passes, winning two from five duels and failing to win his only tackle.
He also put Raya in a difficult position with the backpass, leading to the Spaniard committing the foul which led to Bournemouth’s penalty, and was replaced in the 81st minute even though he came on as a substitute himself. He received a 5/10 rating from Kaynak at full-time.
One Arsenal player whose job was made tough by Saliba’s red card was Ben White, and he also struggled to make a positive impact on the game.
White’s stats vs. Bournemouth
As is often the case when a red card goes against your team, the Gunners defenders struggled from the 30-minute mark onwards. England international White was one of those who were outnumbered but had an even harder job given he did not have the highly rated Saliba next to him, nor even a right-footed player.
That also had implications on the Gunners’ number four getting forward. Normally one to venture down the right wing and get crosses into the box, the 27-year-old had to be far more conservative and hold his position.
The post-match stats for the former Brighton and Hove Albion man did not make for pretty reading. Whilst White looked after the ball well, completing 91% of his passes, he won just two from five tackles and four from nine duels in total.
Kaynak gave the Arsenal number four a 5/10 rating for his performance on the South Coast. He noted that there was not much White could have done going forward, although did point out he was ‘beaten on a couple of occasions’ by winger Dango Ouattara.
Arteta will be desperate for White and his teammates to bounce back in mid week, as they face Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates Stadium.
