Former Manchester United star Owen Hargreaves has identified a key weakness in Arsenal\u2019s recent performances, following their latest outing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ex-Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder also noted that only Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalh\u00e3es delivered satisfactory displays in Arsenal\u2019s 2-1 defeat to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mikel Arteta\u2019s side once again failed to impress, producing an uninspiring performance. Bournemouth cancelled out Junior Kroupi\u2019s opener through a penalty from Viktor Gy\u00f6keres before Alex Scott struck the winning goal in the 74th minute at the Emirates Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the setback, Arsenal remain nine points clear at the top of the Premier League. However, Manchester City have two matches in hand and are scheduled to face the Gunners next weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arteta continues to face scrutiny over Arsenal\u2019s approach, particularly their inability to create enough clear scoring opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking after the game, Hargreaves questioned the team\u2019s confidence levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t look assured at all,\u201d he said. \u201cI was at the stadium, and while the fans were lively early on, their mood changed by the final whistle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnly Rice and Gabriel really met expectations \u2014 the rest were second best throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBournemouth deserve credit; their pressing was relentless and highly effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArsenal couldn\u2019t control possession, often going long, and they played back to the goalkeeper far too often. David Raya ended up being one of their most involved players in terms of passes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey invited pressure, and against a side that presses as well as Bournemouth, that\u2019s risky. Ultimately, they were punished for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor me, the bigger concern is that they\u2019ve been second best in three of their last four matches \u2014 against City in the Carabao Cup final, Southampton in the FA Cup, and this game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey did beat Sporting, but even then, Raya had to make several key saves, which tells you they were under pressure again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve worked hard to get into this position, but they need to see it through. Today, they lacked bravery, confidence, and a bit of fight.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Manchester United star Owen Hargreaves has identified a key weakness in Arsenal\u2019s recent performances, following their latest outing. The ex-Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder also noted that only Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalh\u00e3es delivered satisfactory displays in Arsenal\u2019s 2-1 defeat to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday. Mikel Arteta\u2019s side once again failed to impress, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[25,29,16],"class_list":{"0":"post-3691","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sport-news","8":"tag-arsenal","9":"tag-epl","10":"tag-man-utd"},"yoast_head":"\n