Arsenal didn’t quite enjoy the confidence inspiring result and performance that they were hoping for against Bournemouth in lieu of their trip to Paris.
Mikel Arteta refused to make several changes to his Arsenal team to face Bournemouth, recognising that there was still a job to do in the Premier League.
However, Arsenal let their lead slip and now they’re now somewhat under pressure on a domestic front — less than ideal preparation for their second-leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
| Position | Team | Played MP |
Won W |
Drawn D |
Lost L |
For GF |
Against GA |
Diff GD |
Points Pts |
| 1 |  |
34 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 80 | 32 | 48 | 82 |
| 2 |  |
35 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 64 | 31 | 33 | 67 |
| 3 |  |
35 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 67 | 43 | 24 | 64 |
| 4 |  |
34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 65 | 44 | 21 | 62 |
| 5 |  |
34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 59 | 40 | 19 | 60 |
Of course, Arteta has called on his Arsenal players to channel their frustrations from Saturday’s defeat towards PSG, but that’s easier said than done.
And after losing to Bournemouth, Martin Odegaard made a worrying claim about Arsenal when reflecting on the nature of their defeat.
Andoni Irala changed his team because of Gabriel Martinelli
That being said, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola shared some perhaps unintentionally complimentary words towards Gabriel Martinelli in his press conference after his side’s 2-1 win.
Iraola is being targeted by Tottenham right now and the Spaniard perhaps proved why he continues to gain admirers across Europe.
READ MORE: Dean Huijsen couldn’t believe something that happened against Arsenal in Bournemouth’s 2-1 win
And when asked about how he set-up his team to face Arsenal, Iraola admitted that he put Julian Araujo in at right-back to somewhat nullify Martinelli’s pace on Arsenal’s left — a plan that ultimately worked.
Martinelli had some bright moments in the match but he ultimately wasn’t able to decide the game for Arteta, perhaps meaning that Iraola’s plan worked.
Talking about his changes, Iraola said: “Araujo I think he’s been training well and obviously he’s coming back from surgery from a muscle injury.
“But we needed his speed because Martinelli is one of the fastest players, probably for the league and he’s always a threat in behind and I think Julian has controlled that situation quite well.”
Mikel Arteta needs to make changes for PSG
Of course, Martinelli will be a vital part of Arsenal’s attempts to turn things around against PSG on Wednesday evening.
Mikel Merino is likely to return to the number nine role, meaning Martinelli will have more of a focal point to benefit from in the middle.
Arteta needs to drop Leandro Trossard against PSG after another ineffective performance against Bournemouth and the decision seems pretty straightforward from the outside looking in.
Declan Rice needs to play as Arsenal’s number eight in France and he showed exactly why against Iraola’s side.
And perhaps the biggest selection call will actually be if Jurrien Timber is ready to start owing to injury, with Benjamin White presumably coming in otherwise.
