Bournemouth 1-1 Arsenal: Arsenal Player Ratings

Today marked the beginning of a new era at Arsenal football club. Newly appointed Mikel Arteta managed his first game as the Gunners took on Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth.

Coming into this game, only four points separated the two sides - who sat in 11th and 14th respectively.

There was much speculation around who the Spaniard would pick in his first starting XI, but the 37-year-old offered few surprises in his first-ever team sheet. He opted to keep Nicolas Pepe on the bench and once again reverted to having both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette on the pitch.

The Gunners started off in commanding fashion, dominating the opening 25 minutes. But despite their strong start, it was the Cherries who took the lead in the 35th minute through a Dan Gosling poke from 6 yards.

Arsenal were eventually able to equalize in the second half through a close-range Aubameyang effort, resulting in the game ending in a draw.

Let’s a take a look at how each Arsenal player performed against Bournemouth.

Bernd Leno: 6/10

No keeper has made more saves in the league this season than Bernd Leno. The German has often been the difference between a hammering and a tight defeat.

Today, the 27-year-old only had to make three saves and claim two crosses but he was still up to the challenge when called upon.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 5.5/10

Once again, the 22-year-old showed that he is not suited to being a right-back. Josh King made his life hell, not only beating him for pace but through skill too.

However, Arteta used the makeshift right-back to play in a more central role off the ball, something Pep Guardiola notably does with his full-backs at City.

AFC Bournemouth v Arsenal FC - Premier League

He did this to try and negate the threat of counter-attacks, but once again, Maitland-Niles was found wanting on numerous occasions.

Sokratis: 6.5/10

The error-prone defender surprisingly didn’t put a foot wrong today. The 31-year-old was calm on the ball and positionally astute off it, thus depriving Callum Wilson of space in behind.

David Luiz: 6.5/10

These are the types of performances Arsenal fans have been expecting from a defender of Luiz’s experience. The Brazilian marshaled Arsenal’s defence to a solid performance, which was only punished for one lapse in concentration.

Bukayo Saka: 6/10

At just 18 years of age Saka is being asked to play first-team football in an unfamiliar position, so he cannot be blamed for his mistakes. His positioning at times allowed Bournemouth space to run into, and it was from one of those runs that the assist for their goal came about.

On a more positive note, Saka looked threatening going forward - linking well with Aubameyang.

Lucas Torreira: 7/10

Deployed in his proper position, Torreira put in an exceptional performance. No player on the pitch made more interceptions (2), tackles (2) or ball recoveries (11) than the Uruguayan. He embodied the aggression that Arteta is now demanding of his players.

Granit Xhaka: 7/10

During his pre-match press conference, the new manager went into detail about how much he values Granit Xhaka. The 27-year-old’s performance only added value to that praise as he put in a passing masterclass.

The Swiss international took fewer touches on the ball and instead found his teammates much quicker, thus translating to quicker transitions.

Reiss Nelson: 5.5/10

After a bright opening few minutes, Nelson reverted into his shell and tried to play things safe. The youngster looked indecisive on the ball, often making the wrong decision or poorly executing the decision he did make.

The 20-year-old only created one chance all game, despite getting into several promising positions.

Mesut Ozil: 7.5/10

Today we saw shades of the old Mesut Ozil. The former German international was expertly finding pockets of space, pulling the strings behind the front three. The 31-year-old successfully completed 36 passes whilst creating four chances.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 7/10

Often the main man for the Gunners, Aubameyang came up trumps for his new boss, scoring a vital equaliser. The 30-year-old’s best position is evidently not on the wing, but he worked extremely hard to link up with his teammates regardless.

Alexandre Lacazette: 5.5/10

Brought back into the team, the Frenchman had a few half chances that he should have done better with. As usual he worked hard off the ball, but in the attacking third, the 28-year-old was not enough of a threat to justify his selection.

Substitutes

Shkodran Mustafi: 6/10

The German was brought on to cover for the concussed Sokratis. He didn’t put a foot wrong, despite the frantic end to the game.

Joe Willock: 5/10

Arteta brought on the young midfielder to provide more energy in the middle. Disappointingly, Willock failed to make much of an impact. And when he did get his opportunity, he produced a lame shot instead of passing to a teammate in a better position.

Nicolas Pepe: N/A

Many felt the Ivorian should have started ahead of Nelson, but when given his opportunity to shine, Pepe didn’t do much to change the manager’s mind. Despite a few flicks and spins, the 24-year-old provided nothing going forward.

Edited by Musab Abid