Bolasie Slams Arsenal Midfield After Bournemouth Defeat

Former Premier League winger Yannick Bolasie has taken aim at Arsenal midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi following the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth.

XCLUSIVELAND reports that Bolasie criticized the duo for adopting an overly cautious approach, suggesting their style of play limited Arsenal’s attacking threat during the match.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the former Everton star pointed out that goalkeeper David Raya was more involved in possession than the team’s attacking players — a situation he described as a major concern.

“All comes from Raya dancing on the ball like he has all game. When your back line is touching the ball more than any offensive players it’s a big problem. Dead stats people get rated for these days,” Bolasie wrote.

Statistics from the match appeared to support his argument. Raya attempted 49 passes, completing 38, while Rice completed 43 out of 50 passes. Zubimendi attempted 38 passes and completed 29, while Kai Havertz recorded 17 successful passes from 22 attempts.

Bolasie further criticized the midfielders for prioritizing safe passes over progressive play, arguing that high pass accuracy can often be misleading.

“Of course your pass rates are going to be 95% if you’re always passing backwards and side to side. Same way wingers who don’t lose the ball aren’t trying to take on full-backs… safety first.

“Raya passing the ball more than Declan Rice or Zubimendi is the strange thing about football today — the players with the least attacking ability touching and passing the most,” he added.

Arsenal’s defeat denied them the chance to extend their lead at the top of the table to 12 points. Instead, they now hold a nine-point advantage over Manchester City, who still have two games in hand.

With both sides set to face each other next week, the title race could take a decisive turn depending on the outcome of that highly anticipated clash.

EPL: Rice, Zubimendi Under Fire as Bolasie Reacts to Arsenal Loss