AFC Bournemouth vs Arsenal: 3 tactical observations | Premier League 2018-19

It is no longer news that Arsenal defeated Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium last Sunday to record their fourth away win of the campaign, and in the process equaling the number of away wins they had under Arsene Wenger last season.

It was not a particularly vintage performance from The Gunners, however they got the victory, which is most important especially against a Bournemouth side who are one of the highest scorers in the league this season, so it was never going to be an easy game.

Tactically The Gunners are improving under Unai Emery, but there are still some things which needs to be perfected.

Here is a look at some tactical observations drawn from the game, both the negative and the positive.

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#1 Positional awareness of the defenders

Mustafi and Sokratis engaged in a somewhat lengthy discussion after the draw at Crystal Palace this season

Arsenal defenders are not blessed with so much pace, coupled with the fact that they have been sometimes caught out of position this season.

Positional awareness is key to defending well in a football game. Opposition teams can very well sense when a team's defensive structure is lopsided, which is as a result of defenders not being aware of their positions on the field of play.

The game against Bournemouth brought this teething problem of The Gunners to the fore. In the first half, Bournemouth tried to capitalise on this by playing long balls over the defence, which often created a two-versus-three situation.

It took the intervention of Sokratis on a couple of occasions to out-muscle Callum Wilson when he was tested for pace.

Unai Emery needs to work on how the team drops off when an opposition player who has the ball in midfield is looking to thread a pass for the attackers to run at. Trying to keep the offside trap can be counter productive if they have not mastered the art like some top teams in Europe.

Hector Bellerin's positional play at times was questionable. He was found not too close to his man, which left the likes of Sokratis and Mustafi dragged out of position, although in the second half, they did seem to sort that out to a large extent.

#2 Arsenal's ball winning ability was evident

Torreira nicks the ball off a Bournemouth player

Arsenal look more dangerous when they win the ball back, especially in the opposition half. Unai Emery's philosophy of pressing the opponent very high up the pitch seems to be getting great results.

In the first half, Lucas Torreira nearly scored his first Arsenal goal when he won the ball in a similar position (as he has always done this season), and powered a rasping shot which hit the frame of the goal. Mkhitaryan also did the same in the second half, but scuffed his shot wide.

Arsenal's quality and accuracy of passing in-between the lines around the opposition area will no doubt create goal-scoring opportunities, and with the clinical strikers Arsenal possess, you get the feeling that the team will score goals aplenty.

Manchester City is a team that does this to great effect, and The Gunners can definitely improve this tactical aspect of their game.

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#3 Arsenal may have to improve their defensive solidity by playing a 3-4-3 formation

Ozil's absence provided the room for Emery to field three centre backs

Unai Emery has admitted that the game at Bournemouth was one Mesut Ozil was not suited for, due to its physical demands.

As quoted on Goal.com, when asked about his absence, Emery said:

"We thought about how we can be better in the match today, with a very demanding match physically with their intensity against us and we decided.

"But every player is important. Also today we tried with three centre-backs. It’s another opportunity to improve and find our best performance.

Ozil's absence provided the room for Emery to field three centre backs, and that helped the team to be a bit more solid defensively, and control the game more, which is what Emery wants his team to do.