Former Premier League winger Yannick Bolasie has criticised Arsenal midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi following the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat to AFC Bournemouth, accusing them of playing too conservatively in possession.
Bolasie made his remarks in a post on X, where he argued that Arsenal’s style of play involved excessive safe passing, with the goalkeeper, David Raya, reportedly taking more responsibility in build-up play than some outfield attackers.
He noted that Raya completed 38 of 49 passes in the match, while Rice recorded 43 successful passes from 50 attempts. Zubimendi made 29 successful passes from 38 attempts, while Kai Havertz registered 17 successful passes from 22 attempts.
In his post, Bolasie criticised what he described as an overreliance on statistics and risk-free football.
“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,” he wrote.
He added that high pass completion rates can be misleading, arguing that frequent backward and sideways passes inflate statistics without reflecting attacking intent.
“Of course your pass rates gonna be 95% if you’re always passing backwards and side to side,” he said, adding that modern football often rewards safe play over creativity.
Arsenal’s defeat meant they missed the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 12 points over Manchester City. They now sit nine points ahead, with City holding two games in hand ahead of a crucial meeting between both sides next week.
