Arsenal’s defending against West Ham was a shambles. Their back four were constantly disconnected while the midfield in front of them offered as much protection as a piece of tissue in a storm gun fight. West Ham scored once but should have racked up more. These are, of course, early days in Unai Emery’s time at Arsenal and with a new manager comes a period of adjustment. But having conceded six goals in their opening three games of the season, there needs to be notable improvement soon – what is encouraging is the players appear aware of that, too. “When we do not have the ball we have to make fouls. Then we don’t take the counterattack,” the centre‑back Sokratis Papastathopoulos said. It may be cynical tactic but it is one that has served Manchester City well under Pep Guardiola and reflects a level of canniness that has been lacking at Arsenal for some time. Sachin Nakrani
After spending the best part of £100m on new players in the summer, three defeats from their first three matches was not what David Gold and David Sullivan had envisaged for West Ham. But despite a promising performance at the Emirates, Manuel Pellegrini’s side find themselves bottom of the pile and still looking for a first point under their new manager. There should still be grounds for optimism, however, given the impressive display of Felipe Anderson at the Emirates in his No 10 role behind Marko Arnautovic that saw him create several chances to retake the lead before Arsenal took advantage late on. Like his fellow new arrivals Andriy Yarmolenko and Lucas Pérez, the Brazilian is capable of being a match‑winnner on his dayand Pellegrini will be hopeful his forwards can make the most of his creativity sooner rather than later. Ed Aarons
• Match report: Arsenal 3-1 West Ham
Bournemouth have collected 20 points from losing positions in 2018 and they were at their spirited best against Everton, earning a draw from 2-0 down in the second half. But while their games are rarely dull there is a sense that Bournemouth could eventually hit a wall if they continue to concede the first goal. What happens if the comebacks are unsustainable? “It’s not something we are looking to do,” Eddie Howe said. “We are looking to take the initiative and win the game when it kicks off. That’s the type of team we are. At our best we are very front foot and very aggressive. It’s not like we are sitting back waiting to concede and then we attack. These things have happened. From my perspective, I hope they keep happening when we go behind. But I would like us to be a little bit more ruthless when it’s 0-0.” Jacob Steinberg
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
