Arsenal Vs Bournemouth: 5 things we learned – It’s not even surprising anymore

4. Simple defensive errors will forever reign

Although Bournemouth did not score any goals or create any major chances in the first half, there were still some moments of nervousness and uncertainty that perhaps hinted at the second half collapse to come.

Shkodran Mustafi dived in once or twice, both Rob Holding and Calum Chambers were caught out of position, slightly too advanced in trying to nick the ball away, and all three were guilty of slicing clearances, even when not under the type of pressure that they believed themselves to be dealing with. These are mental errors. Lapses of concentration. A lack of understanding. A failure to smell danger. And they hit hard again in the second half.

These are, in isolation, individual errors: Mustafi and Holding coming across when they needn’t have; Chambers failing to track the run of Calum Wilson; Holding playing the offside trap; Granit Xhaka’s utter numbness to the threat. But they do not happen in isolation. They have happened far too frequently for far too long. There is a cultural problem. Until it is addressed, nothing will change.