What did Arsenal learn from their rather embarrassing loss way to Bournemouth?

Despite coming back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3, there was plenty we learned from Arsenal’s comeback away to the Cherries and not much of it was good.

Granit Xhaka is good but annoying

Not only did the midfielder give away a rather preventable penalty, he was consistently asked to take corners and was consistently bad at taking them.

For what the Switzerland international offers going forward, he does need to attempt to calm his temper and make better decisions because he’s becoming a liability.

The player says he won’t change the way he plays but he really needs to if he continues to put the team in danger. He’s a favourite player of mine but it’s hard to defend him when his decision-making is so juvenile.

Saying this, he got an assist for Olivier Giroud’s equalising goal in the 90+2 minute.

Alexis and Ramsey lack chemistry

Not for the first time, our Chilean forward was seen shouting angrily at Ramsey in what we can only assume was frustration. The two players just don’t appear to have any on-pitch chemistry; the Wales international can’t read Alexis’ movements in time, a lot of balls go to waste and, when you’re losing, this can understandably ruffle a few feather.

Whether Ramsey should even be starting or not is another issue. Personally, I don’t think he’s at the level where he can slot into this starting XI just yet. It looks like Arsene Wenger is shoe-horning him in and it’s not doing the team any good when he plays on the wing.

Oddly enough, once Francis Coquelin was subbed off for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after he went down clutching his hamstring in the first half, meaning Rambo had to move back next to Xhaka, everything started to move that little bit more easily.

Eddie Howe is auditioning for the role as Arsenal boss

Howe is still favourite to take over from Arsene Wenger once his contract with Arsenal runs out at the end of the season and it appears as if the Cherries’ boss knows this full-well.

His team were well set-up, prepared for exactly what we had to throw at them and composed both with and without the ball. Except for the last 10 minutes perhaps.

If this was Howe’s audition for the next Arsenal manager, he did quite well. Although having one of his players hack Ramsey down horrifically, causing him to get sent off, probably wasn’t that wise.

Arsenal will not win the title

I don’t mean to sound completely pessimistic here because I’m usually not but… we can’t win the league this season. I mean, statistically, as Wenger always says, we can. But looking at how strong the teams are around us and how poorly we’re letting games like this slip not just once but numerous times.

I think, as ever, the draw will paper over the cracks and take away from the fact that we went 3-0 down to Bournemouth.

A lot can change very quickly in the Premier League but I hardly see the teams around us dropping points like this while we gain them.

Maybe Wenger should go

Everyone knows how much I love Wenger. And I am one of those annoying fans that flits between whether he should stay or go. However, as of last season, I’m leaning more and more towards him leaving.

Everything from the team selection, with Ramsey shoe-horned in, to the way we set up against a team we knew had already beat Liverpool 4-3, to our reaction to every goal, to our substitutions…

Everything seemed odd and off and not what Arsenal should be doing.

Yes, we can back to draw 3-3. Great. But it should have been a straight forward win.