Arsenal have showed up but also need to step up to continue impressive start and equal an 18-year club record at the Vitality Stadium

By -
Mikel Arteta might be pleased with the result of their first home game of the season in the 4-2 win over Leicester City last weekend but in the same vein, the Spaniard will be furious how his side had allowed Leicester a way back into the game twice.


Though not so much can be done to avoid the first Leicester City goal but being a very demanding man, Arteta will see they could have done better anyways.

Arsenal have kept just one clean sheet in their last twelve league games and despite looking more assured in defence with the addition of William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko, that is another part Mikel Arteta will look to improve.

Arsenal never conceded in all the preseason games when William Saliba had been on the pitch but unfortunately, the Frenchman was the first to put the ball in his own net against Leicester City.

Mikel Arteta will have his eyes set on a club record when they travel to the Vitality Stadium, home of newly promoted Bournemouth on Saturday evening as a win will see them win their opening three league games for the first time, since the 2004-05 season.

The Gunners have won eight and drawn two against Bournemouth in their last 11 meetings while it was also a visit to the Cherries that Kickstarted Mikel Arteta's tenure as the new Arsenal manager, in December 2019.

It ended 1-1 in that Boxing day meeting after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal three minutes after the hour mark canceled out Dan Gosling's opener.

A lot has changed since that time and they also met once after, with Arsenal winning 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium in the round four of the Emirates FA Cup in the following month of their draw.

Arsenal are also on a run of 19 league games without a draw, their longest since a run of 28 in 1983 while Bournemouth are also yet to draw in each of their last five games, winning four.

Dominic Solanke and Jordan Zemura both missed the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Ethiad last weekend due to an ankle injury and covid respectively and the meeting with Arsenal is likely to come too soon for the two.

Summer signing, Fabio Vieira alongside Emile Smith Rowe and Cedric Soares featured for the Arsenal U-21 in the 2-1 win over Swansea U-21 in the Premier League Cup on Wednesday and the Portuguese might have his first team debut in Bournemouth if things go as planned.


Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah are the only two players to score against Bournemouth in an Arsenal shirt while Gabriel Jesus has also scored twice against the Cherries while with Manchester City.

For a new look Bournemouth side, it's a new start against any team they'll be coming up against after the years spent in the Championship and Scott Parker will hope to write better history this time around.

Bournemouth have beaten Aston Villa 2-0 in their first home game of the season and even though they lost 4-0 at Manchester City, they will still believe their start to the season has been encouraging and manager, Scott Parker be hopeful of taking a result against Arsenal.


Author: Kehinde Hassan Afolabi 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another Newcastle defeat means time to go BIG on Eddie Howe might be about right

By -
Image
Eddie Howe's Newcastle United falled to a sixth defeat in seven games as Nottingham Forest sealed a 3-1 comeback win in the Saint James' Park, adding to their Champions League and Carabao Cup elimination in December while they continue to drop down the Premier League table. Credits to the Englishman, however, he is not in an elite level. A project like Newcastle United's is in a stage where you say thank you very much to Eddie Howe, a bid him farewell. It was a miracle, what the former AFC Bournemouth boss has done in his just more than two years at the helm of affairs in Tyneside and after the club failed to make the statement upon their UEFA Champions League qualification, the time couldn't be more right. Eddie Howe took charge of Newcastle United when the club was deep down the bottom of the Premier League standing and helped them become the first-ever to avoid relegation having not won a single game up until Gameweek 14 in the competition's history. Newcastle Un
Read more

Rasmus Hojlund; a pragmatic solution to Manchester United's needs despite likely consequences

By -
Image
Rasmus Hojlund has emerged as a real target for Manchester United as they look to secure a main goalscorer, who will lead the lines for the club on a long-term. Erik Ten Hag has opted for a different approach compared to previous managers of United in recent times, whom had all gone for players of different status. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Odion Ighalo, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wout Weghorst are strikers the club has signed post Sir Alex Ferguson era, all of whom arrived at the club in their 30s. With Hojlund, United are looking to sign someone who just turned 20, though still has a lot more to learn to master the trade but at the same time, he has got the potentials to become one of the best around. The striker position has been a major issue for the club as many of those who had been signed has not lived up to expectations, while those who did ended up leaving due to their already ending careers. Cristiano Ronaldo and maybe Zlatan Ibrahimovic are the only two names who have m
Read more

Nigeria makes continental history as Osimhen and Oshoala win big in CAF awards

By -
Image
Victory for Nigeria at the CAF awards gala in Marrakech as Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala won the major prizes on the night, making the country the first-ever to produce winners of both CAF Men's and Women's Best Players in the same year. Victor Osimhen crowned Africa's Best For the first time since Kanu Nwankwo 24 years ago, a Nigerian player has won the most prestigious individual accolade in African football with striker Victor Osimhen beating Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi to the CAF Men's Player of the Year award. Osimhen, who enjoyed a sensational year with Napoli, delivering their first Scudetto in 33years and helping them to a first-ever quarter final place in the UEFA Champions League was always front-runner for the award, moreso after Riyad Mahrez failed to make the final three. Aside his conquests with Napoli, the 24-year-old striker was also unplayable in the AFCON qualifiers, scoring ten goals in six games and finishing as top scorer of the qualificatio
Read more