Former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has criticized Kai Havertz for his lack of awareness during the team’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to AFC Bournemouth, a result that has put a dent in Arsenal’s title aspirations. Speaking on Sky Sports, Ramsey expressed his frustration over the performance of the Gunners, who have not lifted the Premier League trophy since 2004.
With Arsenal having missed out to Manchester City in the title race for the past two seasons, this latest loss—coupled with City’s victory on Sunday—has left the north London club struggling to keep pace. Ramsey, who represented Arsenal from 2008 to 2019, pointed out that both Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli could have done more to prevent Ryan Christie’s opening goal for Bournemouth.
During his analysis on Monday Night Football, Ramsey stated, “The only issue is the two Arsenal players against their two on the edge [of the box]. Martinelli’s position needed to be altered a bit. The [space] is too big. It invites the ball to come around for Christie. I would say Havertz as well; he needs to be more on the half-turn. He’s got to be more aware of what is coming and whether he can get an arm across him or disrupt the run just to put him off balance maybe. Those would be my two things.”
Looking ahead, Ramsey acknowledged that it’s still early in the race for the Premier League title, but he highlighted the crucial upcoming match against Liverpool. When asked if Arsenal could afford to lose to Liverpool at the Emirates on Sunday, he responded, “Man City have Southampton next week; you’d expect them to win there. Six points at this stage could be too much to catch them. You need to be six points in front of them. That City team, the way Liverpool are playing, you can’t be too far away from them.”
Ramsey also commented on Arsenal’s ongoing struggle with red cards, following William Saliba’s recent dismissal, stating, “They need to address it; it’s tough enough playing with 11 players. Nothing to worry about, but I hope they don’t make the same mistake.”