Bournemouth are the EPL giant killers having beaten the likes of Chelsea (away) and Manchester United at home. Bournemouth welcomed Arsenal to the South Coast .
Arsene Wenger named a strong side and started Oxlade Chamberlain on the right flank of attack in place of Joel Campbell. It was a game Arsenal needed to win to keep the chase on Leicester. After recording no wins in their last 4 games and losing to Chelsea , Arsenal badly needed the win today .
Neutralise The Bournemouth Midfield:
Tactical Wenger got it right by nullifying the midfielders of Bournemouth (Arther and Surman) . This way the supply to Benik Afobe was cut off. Afobe came into the game having scored 3 goals in 3 games since his £10m winter transfer from Wolves to Bournemouth . Matthieu Flamini was perfect and he covered every blade of the grass with Aaron Ramsey which resulted in Bournemouth lacking creativity and been restricted to long yard shots. If Arsenal fans have missed Coquelin this season, today Flamini was the chief attack neutraliser of Bournemouth , though he could have seen red for an early challenge on a Bournemouth player. Arsenal wouldn't have conceded many goals this season if Flamini had played this way all season . To win matches , you need to protect your defence and conceed less goals and Flamini performed this function to perfection.
Finish Off Your Chances:
Mesut Ozil scored his goal when given the chance . This was his 6th goal this season and he became the only player in Arsenal this season to score Bournemouth home and away. Ozil picked his passes so well and dictated the pace of the game . Also Oxlade Chamberlain rewarded the faith shown in him by Wenger by scoring his first away goal in five years and also his first league goal since September 14, 2015. Ozil's goal was Arsenal's first in 338 minutes . Though Bournemouth had a ball possession of 51% to Arsenal's 49% and had 17 attempts to Arsenal's 10, arsenal saw off the game as Champions.
Petr Cech was also important as he saved more than 7 attempts. With Cech in the team, Arsenal have grown stronger and the defence seems more assured.
With games against Leicester, Tottenham,Swansea and also a Champions League Round of 16 tie against Barcelona, the win against Bournemouth was needed to keep confidence high and prepare for the games ahead . With 25 games gone and 13 remaining , Arsenal are 5 points behind league leaders Leicester and 9 goals behind noisy neighbours Tottenham.
Arsenal were resolute today but whether they will maintain the form is a question for another day.
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