This was such a different type of performance to the one on Thursday. Arsenal ultimately got the win, the three points and are in a good position in the table. Looking at the struggles of their rivals things can be a lot worse for Arsenal but it is still hard to see a performance with four second half shots (including one that would have probably been offside if it got a VAR check) and not wish the performances were better.
Arsenal now have an extra long break between matches thanks to a Monday fixture after the international break, hopefully some of that time can be used to get the team playing better.
Arsenal 1-0 Bournemouth: By the graphs
Running xG
xG Shot Map
Shot Placement xG Map
Simulated Match Result
Arsenal 1-0 Bournemouth: By the numbers
2 – Clean sheets, in the Premier League now for Arsenal.
10 – Shots for Bournemouth in this match, the fewest Arsenal have conceded this season in a match.
0.9 – xG for Bournemouth, the second lowest have allowed this season.
19 – Touches in the box for Bournemouth, the third fewest in a match this season
For as bad as Arsenal have been this season allowing teams to create against them, Arsenal did fairly well keeping Bournemouth at bay. They had two decent chances in the match, one from a header and the other that didn’t turn into a shot after Callum Wilson dribbled past Bernd Leno. Overall Arsenal did well to keep better control of the match, and got a deserved clean sheet to show for it.
The attack is still a work in progress
6 – Matches with 15 or less shots for Arsenal this season, with Arsenal getting just 12 shots today.
5 – Matches with 1.25 xG or less this season, with Arsenal getting 1.24 today. This also includes the Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang chance at the end that was offside and if it was scored would have likely been over turned. Without that chance Arsenal had 0.84 xG, which would be the third time that they failed to break 1 xG.
2 – Players with more than 1 shot for Arsenal today, just Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang (4) and Callum Chambers (3)
4 – Shots in the second half for Arsenal, with 0 on target compared to 8 shots in the first half with 2 on target.
36 – Attacking third passes completed in the second half for Arsenal, compared to 50 in the first half.
The flip side of the decent defensive performance was that it came at the cost of producing much in attack. After Arsenal got their goal and especially in the second half Arsenal looked like they were less interested in extending their lead and were more worried about preserving it. Today it worked out for Arsenal but this is a higher risk strategy for a team with a strong attack and a weak defense to attempt on a weekly basis.
Captain Granit Xhaka
52 – Passes completed, led all players
4 – Final third entry passes, 2nd on Arsenal (Dani Ceballos led Arsenal with 6)
5 – Final third completions, 8th on Arsenal
0 – Chances created
0 – Shots
8 – Ball recoveries, 2nd on Arsenal (Dani Ceballos led all players with 11)
2 – Tackles, tied for 5th on Arsenal (Calum Chambers and Gabriel Martinelli tied for the most with 4)
0 – Interceptions
5 – Clearances, led Arsenal
3 – Fouls committed, led all players
This wasn’t a bad match from Granit Xhaka but it does seem to fit into the theme that the role that he is being asked to play doesn’t get the most out of him. Xhaka is great passer of the ball, with a knack for getting balls from deeper areas into the attacking third. He is at his best as the deep playmaker in a possession oriented attack but struggles when pressed and isn’t a player that thrives in creating quick transitions from defense to attack.
That style of a deeper defense, with the team looking to strike quickly and directly seems to be what Unai Emery is trying to get Arsenal to do more often, especially when Arsenal have the lead. This really doesn’t seem to fit what Xhaka can do best and I think it is one of the biggest reasons that he (and Arsenal) have not looked very good in attack this season.
Xhaka is a very talented player but I think that if Arsenal want to play this style they need to change the player at the base of the midfield to better fit into that role or if Unai Emery wants to persist with his captain in the starting XI he will need to tweak his tactics to better fit the strengths of his deep lying play maker.
@oh_that_crab
Sources: Opta via whoscored, StatsZone and my own database.
Funny thing is that Ozil is an amazing transition player (Real Madrid, his best Arsenal performances and Germany), while Xhaka plays well in a possession dominant side. And yet, with Arsenal being set up to play transition football, we are playing Xhaka and leaving Ozil out of the squad entirely.
Funny is how you relate a deep lying play maker who sit in front of defense with an attacking midfielder. I mean do I need to even point that out?
That you missed his point is what’s funny
Yep, made me laugh too.
Just that keeping Özil out of the squad isn’t really funny….
Maybe if Ozil would just work a little harder in training he might get a game.
Are you attending to the trainings? No. So you don’t know.
Well, per mert the BFG is and feels the same too. Looks for his statement on 15th September or something
Apparently Patrick Vieira was a right lazy git in training. Just saying.
Yeah, but Pat put the hammer down in games. Ozil… not so much.
I’m ok with the downvote, but then some think i’m wrong and so AussieGooner attends to the trainings then!! Lucky him!
Watch last week’s training video. Xhaka passes straight to Auba in the opposing team. Auba slams it past Leno. Xhaka does this shit in training! And still he gets picked.
I have a question pls.
Are we getting lower xGA per game compared to last season in general, and the first 8 fixture in particular?
According to the xG data compiled here xG and xGA respectively are 11.69 and 12.88 for this season so far.
In the first 8 games of last season xG and xGA were 10.64 and 11.1.
This suggests a small improvement in creating chances but a small regression defensively.
Though, as an addendum, we’ve conceded 3 penalties this season compared with 0 in the first 8 games last season. And we’ve been awarded one penalty this season versus 0 last season. Penalties being low frequency largely random events, with a very high xG value, can distort the stat over a relatively small number of games like this. If you take penalties out of the equation it becomes 10.93 and 10.6 for xG and xGA respectively this season. And same as before 10.64 and 11.1 last season. Which suggests there is almost no difference compared to last season. You could… Read more »
I have a very strange feeling about Arsenal right now. I am really pleased we won against Bournemouth and that we are 3rd in the league. However I find myself feeling more distant from the team as I am finding watching the PL team really quite tedious and on the verge of boredom. I mean only 2 shots on target, in that game?
I will always continue supporting the club and the team, but right now my relationship with them feels more functional than fully emotionally invested.
Is anyone else feeling like this? Does anyone have a remedy?
Funny, I thought exactly the same yesterday…Let’s hope it’s just a phase…
I feel the same way too and I have been an Arsenal fan for close to 15 years. I am not sure exactly when but it was since the earlier part of 2019 when I feel bored watching the team play. A lack of urgency and devoid of creativity since Ramsey was injured in the first part of 2019. Nowadays we seem to bypass the midfield while hoping for our strikers to create miracles.
Bypass the midfield in both directions it seems. We are still susceptible to opposition counter attacks whilst not managing to master it ourselves. I suspect that buying Pepe was supposed to increase out threat on the counter, but we never seem to be able to get the ball out to him, or Auba, very often. Possibly because opposition sit deep against us and possibly because of the fact our transition from defence to attack is so laboured and slow. Let’s hope, for the sake of our season and our support Emery actually does have a plan and that the team… Read more »
I am feeling quite the same way. Yesterday’s performance was an ordeal to go through – especially the second half. When the coach comes out and claims a loss of confidence was the reason for the listless performance, it leaves me with more questions than answers.
We are talking about Bournemouth here!
Emery’s hollow explanations are becoming an embarrassment. Inexperience?
This man needs to look at how our main rival, Chelsea, are playing at the moment.
All Chelsea youngsters bar Odoi were loaned and have proven themselves consistently in their respective clubs. Chelsea’s youth policy is completely different to ours.
Saka, Gabriel & Willock are experiencing their first continuous top level games. We threw Guen head first into first team action last season too.
Playing inexperienced youth will almost always cause these kinds of problems.
I don’t think the problem of Arsenal is untested academy products. Those three you mentioned have been part of the team that made Forest and Standard Liege look like part-timers.
Our problem is how our coach sets up the “senior” players for the EPL.
Posted this in almost the exact words yesterday elsewhere. I think a lot of the time i’m scared of sounding superficial saying this cause it definitely irks some, but is watching that style of play, better than other things I can do for 2 hours on a weekend? All the more frustrating because the players we have are clearly capable of so much more entertainment.
Very well put, all these comments above. I guess winning is supposed to fill in those two hours with belated satisfaction, but I do miss seeing something special from our side. I used to watch the highlights of our matches over and over again, but there isn’t really much to see recently. I understand that the results are the most important thing here, those 3 points (which we shouldn’t forget that we failed to get against Watford, most egregiously, and against MUnited, most lamely), but within that philosophy lies the barren truth: just check the final score.
The problem is we all love Arsenal. However bad we are playing or frustrated we are with various aspects of the team as soon as the next game comes round we are all going to watch it. Not sure there is a remedy as such more just blind hope that the next game will be better.
We’ll have to endure this for the rest of the season, I am afraid.
Emery won’t change; he’ll play his captain; Torreira will be played in the wrong position.
Lacazette, Tierney, Holding and Bellerin may come in and make things better; but the essence of UE will still be our lot.
The only remedy I see is: Unai won’t be here next season. The board will not take up the third year option.
If we scrape into the CL but with bad performances, do you think they would ditch UE? I’m not sure they would
They certainly will.
Who wants to scrape into the CL only to be Tottenhammed.
We won’t get away with guys like Xhaka screening our back four against the big boys of Europe.
If they could be scared at Watford, I sense they may freeze at the Allianz Arena.
I don’t Edu et al are willing to take that risk.
Think you are spot on here. Don’t think for one moment Emery will change. Everyone can see Xhaka is a complete waste of space , but he’s made him captain. You live and die by these decisions. Hopefully the player’s you have mentioned will all come into the side and make improvements. Only time a tell.?
On the nose Kevin. It might be cliched, but all we can do is keep up the love and hope for better football. Drugs, I know, are not the remedy at this point!
Well… my distance with this Arsenal team has reached such a high level that I have started treating PL games as optional now. I just come here on Arseblog after the match and read how it went instead of bothering to sit for 2 tedious hours and watch the whole game. I don’t think there’s anything wrong in it, if winning was all that mattered in football, Maurinho wouldn’t be considered shit. There’s a reason coaches like Klopp, Guardiola, Sir Alex and Arsene (in his peak) are respected more than the others.
Style matters.
Class matters.
I agree. AW always want to make people happy by winning the beautiful game of football with style. I have been always thinking, that this is the one of most important things in the AFC. Since UE’s arrival, I have started to realize more and more, that this was AW’s idea than of the club. He truly was man of higher principle.
You’ve had caviar for so long, sausages would definitely taste rubbish.. can’t blame you. Atleast with this new batch of academy players coming through, we’ll have some players with genuine connection with the club. Can’t think of a player that has a proper connection with the fans since BFG..
Problem is Emery won’t play them.!!!!!!!!
You are absolutely right. Look at Barcelona. They changed managers several times but their style of play remains pretty the same. Arsenal’s style is quite boring at the moment. I no longer get that feeling that I am missing a lot if I don’t watch the match. But yeah, we love the team beyond the style and that’s why we continue committing 2 hours every weekend to watch.
I just can’t agree with that analysis of Xhaka. One of the most inhibitting features of Xhaka as an effective passer of the ball is that he has little to no ability to create space for himself. Xhaka cannot receive the ball facing one way and shift his weight or move his feet quickly to face another way. When we say he’s weak to the press, this is at least what I mean. If he receives that pass and he feels he is in a press situation, he distributes the ball quite immediately back in the direction he is facing.… Read more »
Spot on mate!
Was typing up a long ass comment, gave up, bottom line: Xhaka seems like a great bloke, possibly caring great leadership qualities. The way we’re structured doesn’t help him as he seemed better alongside Torreira, with the Uruguayan having more defensive responsibilities. That being said, he’s not the way forward. Would love a three man midfield where Torreira is the DM, Guendouzi & Ceballos fighting for the box to box position, with Willock/Ozil having a go for the most advanced position. Unfortunately, it will probably take either suspension or – god forbid – injury to Xhaka for Emery to try… Read more »
Time for change…
https://www.change.org/p/unai-emery-remove-granit-xhaka-from-arsenal-s-starting-xi-in-english-premier-league-games
Toxic. The state of this fan base is embarrassing.
just remove Bummery
This is absolutely spot on Analysis Goonero!! Well done mate. When Torreira plays as DM, he does exactly what Xhaka does in terms of passing, but the difference is he is a MUCH superior defender, who can press and tackle. He is also more disciplined, but still has the capacity in the right moments to get forward and make a run if he is adequately covered for (and he still can get back when he occasionally does that as the DM). Like you say Xhaka simply cannot and does not even try turn guys. This is a massive weakness and… Read more »
Spot on, I saw multiple example yesterday where Xhaka couldn’t see a forward pass, turns to face another way, but the ball rolls to his right foot, in the time he’s moved it back to his left, the whole Bournemouth team have moved 10m up the pitch, so he passes to Luiz who lumps it. Worst part was, Luiz lumped it to Saka/Pepe who people then accused of breaking down our play.
Excellently put. I would have said something similar if I could even be bothered anymore lol
Gawd! Couldn’t have said this better. I’m tired of screaming this to anyone willing to listen. Xhaka brings absolutely NOTHING to this team, at least nothing some one else can’t do better. AMN will do a better job than Xhaka, whatever it is he’s supposed to do. Xhaka is at the core of the reason why Arsenal is so painful to watch these days. It’s no coincidence that we have been fluid for EVERY SINGLE TIME HE HAS NOT PLAYED this season including when he was substituted against Villa. We have quick attackers that need a quick midfield system that… Read more »
Hells teeth! These posts are getting longer than a Xhaka build-up play.
Spot on
Emery will get the sack very soon and Xhaka will be the cause of it. We all can see it coming.
I’m bookmarking this mate, well done!
2 shots on target. At home. Vs that Bournemouth side?! With the wealth of attacking riches that we have in our squad, that is almost criminal management. We have one of the best strikers in world football, in form and at his peak, yet he has zero service. A world Cup winning attacking midfielder, who yes is not playing at a world class level, but can certainly be used to bully teams like our opposition yesterday (and who I thought it was the coaches job to make all players in the squad play to their max? Not prop them up… Read more »
“Arsenal looked like they were less interested in extending their lead and were more worried about preserving it. This is a higher risk strategy for a team with a strong attack and a weak defense to attempt on a weekly basis.”
Sums up my annoyance with emery in a nutshell. Nice work as always, Scott.
What about Willock saying “the coach encourages us to keep scoring and not rest on our laurels” after 4-0 vs. Liege?
NO COMPRENDE
Martinelli – a forward – comes on at 63′ and is tied as Arsenal player with most tackles made in the whole game. Wow!