Mikel Arteta named an extremely strong starting line-up for Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth.
With the crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against PSG next Wednesday, it was expected Arteta would rotate his side. That was not the case, however, with the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all starting at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Rice appeared to justify Arteta’s selection in the first half after the England international put his side ahead. The Cherries came back into the game after the break, though, with goals from Dean Huijsen and Evanilson securing all three points for the away side. It means Arsenal have just one win in five league games.
With a trip to Paris to come, it is a nightmare scenario for Arteta who must now rally his troops ahead of perhaps the Gunners’ biggest game of the season. Arteta always demands a lot from his players and one moment perhaps summed this up against Bournemouth.
With the first half nearing an end, Leandro Trossard was shouted at by his manager for being too slow to press a Bournemouth throw. This prompted a response from the Belgian, who proceeded to chase the ball down quickly and with purpose.
Arteta tried his best to encourage his players and the crowd in the second half but, in truth, it was a nervy atmosphere inside Emirates Stadium. Perhaps the worst preparation for PSG which comes in just a few days’ time.
On the atmosphere, Arteta said: “Well, we certainly wanted to create a really good vibe, a positive result would really help us to build what we wanted towards Wednesday. So, what we have created now is a lot of rage, anger, frustration and a bad feeling in the tummy. So, make sure that we use that for Wednesday to have a massive performance in Paris, win the game and be in the final.
With a trip to Paris to come, it is a nightmare scenario for Arteta who must now rally his troops ahead of perhaps the Gunners’ biggest game of the season. Arteta always demands a lot from his players and one moment perhaps summed this up against Bournemouth.
With the first half nearing an end, Leandro Trossard was shouted at by his manager for being too slow to press a Bournemouth throw. This prompted a response from the Belgian, who proceeded to chase the ball down quickly and with purpose.
Arteta tried his best to encourage his players and the crowd in the second half but, in truth, it was a nervy atmosphere inside Emirates Stadium. Perhaps the worst preparation for PSG which comes in just a few days’ time.
