Arsenal must eliminate the loser who lost the ball every 3.5 touches

Arsenal fought their way through an entertaining game against Bournemouth at Vitality to extend its lead at the top of the rankings Premier League table and score five wins in a row to boot.

That’s five points of headroom over second-placed Aston Villa, who won earlier in the day; Third-placed Manchester City trail by a further point, although they will look to reduce the deficit at home to managerless Chelsea in a Super Sunday lead.

But who can argue with that Mikel Arteta created the most complete team in the Premier League this season? And with so many elite players involved, it was Declan Rice‘s brace propelled the Gunners further into the ascendancy, underlining their credentials as one of the best in the business.

Declan Rice leads Arsenal title race

It’s really awesome to see Martin Odegaard fit and fine once again, but it is Rice who has become Arsenal’s talismanic force this season, the sure-fire Premier League Player of the Year should the club cross the line in first place.

The England midfielder scored not one but two of Arsenal’s goals on the south coast, taking his tally to four this season. Not just an added dimension in front of goal, Rice is a consummate general in the engine room, all-consuming and a leader his teammates can lean on.

As Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley said, “they are not much bigger” than the 26-year-old, who also won four duels and recovered eight balls, according to Sofascore.

However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Arteta’s men, with several flattering players to fool. Viktor Gyokeres struggled to produce the goods (although he worked hard in preparation for Rice’s first film) while Gabriel Jesus » continues to breathe down his neck, but it is another leader who will sweat because of his starting place.

Arsenal fighter could now lose his place

Arsenal continue to dazzle this season, but out of three thirds of the field, the front line has probably left the most to be desired. Gabriel Martinelli is an integral part of this, and he did not produce his best performance against Bournemouth.

Martinelli remains a talented winger, but he is not dynamic enough, perhaps a little predictable. The Cherries gave their all against Arsenal, and the 24-year-old still lacks the initiative to step up and take the team forward.

In fairness, he gave Alex Jimenez a difficult game, but his performance was not up to standard and it has now been ten Premier League matches without direct involvement in a goal for the Brazil international.

Having lost the ball every 3.5 touches but failing to create a significant scoring chance, it wasn’t the best performance, especially as Gyokeres continues to work hard.

Arsenal content creator James Clark even remarked that the Brazilian winger is “too one-dimensional“, thus negating some of Arsenal’s threat on the left side. This is exacerbated when Piero Hincapie sits behind him.

All in all, Arteta showcased a masterful rotation against a dangerous Bournemouth side. That wasn’t enough for Andoni Iraola’s men to fight, even if they tried their luck.

Rice may continue to defy the norms, but Martinelli has been unable to match his former level for some time now, and with the transfer window currently open, it might not be the worst thing for technical director Andrea Berta to seek an upgrade on the attacking left flank.

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