Arsenal suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to Bournemouth as they were reduced to 10 men after William Saliba was sent off in the 30th minute.
The red card was Arsenal’s third already in this English Premier League campaign. Midfielder Declan Rice called out the club for its “naivety” when speaking with Sky Sports after the loss.
“We’ve kicked ourselves in the foot three times in eight games and we got away with it at home to Brighton and away at Manchester City,” Rice said. “Bournemouth kept probing and made it 2-0. I’m proud of the players for fighting, even with 10 men, but the naivety, we need to stop making mistakes because you want 11 players for 90 minutes and that’s what wins you football matches.”
In seven EPL matches, Rice has struggled to make an impact failing to register a goal or an assist while completing under 80% of his passes.
The loss is Arsenal’s first of the season but it could spell doom for the club’s title hopes as Manchester City once again appears to be the team to beat in the Premier League. While the Gunners managed to draw with the Blues, City has yet to lose a match.
It is hard to imagine Manchester will be invincible but the loss to Bournemouth makes the already challenging task of topping City even harder. Arsenal needs to play smarter and can not afford another match where they are playing down a man.
But the likes of Gabriel Jesus, David Raya and Rice need to perform better. All the pressure can not fall on Bukayo Saka to perform.
Arsenal has the talent to challenge City. The Gunners did so in the 2023-24 campaign but ended up cracking under pressure. While the Premier League campaign has just begun, Arsenal will need to play much better if it wants to defeat the giant that is Man City.
