‘Never in control’ – Arsenal legend pinpoints what went wrong in Bournemouth loss

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 Oct 2024 20:54 BST
• 2 min read

Arsenal lacked the hunger to beat Bournemouth in a 2-0 Premier League loss on Saturday, according to former Gunners star Theo Walcott, who has listed numerous reasons why Mikel Arteta’s side stumbled to an unexpected defeat.

Goals from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert consigned the Gunners to a first defeat of the season, with William Saliba’s controversial first-half red card doing the visitors no favours on the south coast.

Walcott, speaking to Sky Sports, said that the body language of the players was unusual, putting this down to the recent international break.

READ MORE: Arsenal’s next Saliba? The ‘DREAM’ 20-year-old destined for stardom

“They struggled from minute one. It was like they were still on international duty, locked away. They were strangers,” he said. “They lost the ball too often, a lot of arms thrown around, a lot of frustration.

“There wasn’t the free-flowing football that we’re used to seeing from them. There was a lot of arguing with each other, and that’s not what we want to see. So they’ll want to dive away from this result as quickly as possible.

“I never felt Arsenal were in control. They felt sluggish coming out of the blocks. It was like they hadn’t had time to work together. They were second to everything, they didn’t look like they were hungry to get a result. It was like they were going through the motions.”

Walcott, who played with the Emirates club between 2006 and 2018, making nearly 400 appearances in all competitions and winning two FA Cups, sent a warning to the Gunners.

“These are the games that have cost them in previous seasons,” he said. “It's disappointing, but they’ve got to move on.”

Arsenal could quickly find themselves off the pace in the Premier League title race, with Liverpool and Manchester City potentially going four points clear of Arteta’s side, who host the Anfield club at the Emirates Stadium next Sunday.