Arsenal: Henrikh Mkhitaryan reaching the end of the line

Arsenal gave Henrikh Mkhitaryan a full match to prove himself and he did he opposite. The end of the line must be near for this man.

Arsenal‘s match against Bournemouth wasn’t the usual “Fab Four” performance. In fact, we haven’t had one of those all year. And that’s because Henrikh Mkhtiaryan has not been “Fab” except for about 20 minutes against Chelsea.

This match at the Vitality was arguably the worst Mkhitaryan has ever looked. His ineffectiveness was only outdone by his refusal to accept that he was ineffective. In the end, the numbers actually do tell the whole story, even if they so rarely do.

Mkhitaryan gave the ball up nine times all on his own. The rest of the starting XI gave it up eleven times combined. Meaning that he accounted for over 50% of the possession lost in this one, which is just pathetic.

He attempted seven shots, only one was on target. He completed just one dribble. And, in the crowning achievement of this ineptitude, when he was played on a fast break by Aubameyang, he managed to shoot the ball off his own plant leg.

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No matter where he was on the pitch, he didn’t seem to know what to do. His passing was erratic, his shots barely stayed in the stadium. This wasn’t just a bad match, or a match that you can chalk up to a lack of confidence. This was a complete implosion that showcased just how bad it has gotten for the Armenian.

I have stood up for him in the past, believing that his talent would shine through sooner or later. It had too, right? There was a reason why there was just as much excitement for him as there was for Aubameyang when they both arrived last January. But despite the promise shown in the second half of last year, it’s clear that Mkhitaryan is not working out. He’s had nearly half a season now and he hasn’t even had a good game yet.

Eventually, you have to wonder when the end of the line is. How long do you give a guy that is so clearly ineffective to the point of being a liability? Especially when you have young players like Smith Rowe who, at this point, I have no doubts would be better than Mkhitaryan.

This is all bad for Micky. I am still holding out hope that he can find his form again, but for now, there is just nothing there.