Keown slams Arsenal players for not passing to one team-mate as Arteta is urged to drop star
Arsenal legend Martin Keown was frustrated at the lack of balls going into Max Dowman after the teenager came off the bench in the Gunners’ 2-1 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday.
A Viktor Gyokeres penalty cancelled out Eli Junior Kroupi’s early opener for the Cherries as Arsenal struggled to show their best form against Andoni Iraola’s men.
And Alex Scott won the match for Bournemouth on 74 minutes with a cool finish as the Gunners lost their third match in four matches in all competitions.
Arsenal remain nine points ahead of Manchester City, who play Chelsea on Sunday, but the Citizens have two games in hand and face the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium on April 19.
Mikel Arteta made some early substitutes on 54 minutes to try and change the course of the match with Max Dowman, Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard coming on for Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli.
And Keown was disappointed that Dowman’s Arsenal team-mates failed to find the 16-year-old a bit more as they looked for a creative spark.
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Keown told TNT Sports: “Arsenal fixed the play and the picture never changed. Arsenal then couldn’t develop the play into their midfield players.
“Even when Dowman came on, we were all screaming give him the ball, but they didn’t have enough good control of the ball in the midfield and that is all down to Bournemouth and Arsenal not mixing up their game enough.”
Former Watford and Cardiff City striker Jay Bothroyd insists that Martinelli needs to be dropped for Dowman as Arsenal “need to go over the line”.
Bothroyd said on Sky Sports: “When I looked at that starting team today, I was thinking to myself, ‘okay, Martinelli made an assist during the week. It was a great assist. But he hasn’t been good enough this year.'”
The former England international added: “As far as I’m concerned, Max Dowman needs to start. I don’t care no more. Arsenal need to go over the line.
“That kid, when he plays, he’s fearless. He wants to ball. He goes at players. He might lose it, but he goes at them.”
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The ex-Premier League striker also criticised Gyokeres for his post-match comments suggesting that a “dry pitch” could have contributed to their poor display.
Bothroyd continued: “Listen, to me, that’s just silliness. I was at the game, I saw the pitch. The pitch looked perfect to me.
“The sprinklers were on before the game. They were on at half-time. Both teams actually play on that same pitch. I don’t know if you know that.
“Both teams play on it, and Bournemouth took the opportunities when they came. I hear what he’s saying when he talks about being positive going forward, because I think in this situation, you kind of have to look at that, but at the same time, you really need to analyse what happened today because it was really poor.
“I think the xG (expected goals) was 0.19 in open play at home. That is just not good enough for a team of the calibre of players that Arsenal have. It’s just way off. It’s just not good enough.
“Too many times they get into a position where they are just knocking the ball around the pitch.
“Raya is literally touching the ball. He has the ball at his feet, probably more than any other player on the pitch. And obviously, you’re 80 yards from goal. I don’t get that.”
