Arsenal Vs Bournemouth: The result-performance tension

Arsenal squeezed past Bournemouth with a 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon despite not deserving the three points. There is a result-performance tension and it is increasingly difficult to decipher.

Ultimately, sport is about winning. It does not matter what you are playing. It does not matter at what level you are playing at. Sport is about winning. That does not justify cheating. It does not mean enjoyment should not be considered. But it does mean that every individual and team should be doing everything within their power to win.

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By that kind of thinking, Arsenal should be rather pleased with their progress so far this season. They have only lost twice all year. They are unbeaten in their last 17 matches in all competitions. They are at the sharp end of the Premier League, within touching distance of the top-four.

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And yet, there is a growing trepidation with the start that the Gunners have made to life under Unai Emery. The results may have been largely excellent, the performances have not followed. Oddly, they seem to counter each completely. Arsenal’s best performance of the year came in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool, a game that they did not win.

That same pattern persisted on Sunday afternoon, a 2-1 win over Bournemouth. For large periods of the game, Emery’s side were rather poor. They ceded possession and control in central areas, they created little when pushing forwards, and were routinely opened up with runs in behind, which were especially poignant given the back-three that Emery employed, vacating space in the wide channels.

It was an odd game, like many that have been played this season, indicative of the tension between the performance and the result. Should Arsenal be pleased with winning the game or disappointed with the process that led to the result? The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but there is still an awkwardness between the two, especially when Emery’s tenure is brought into the conversation.

Emery’s first season at the Emirates is almost exclusively about making progress, relaying the foundations after Arsene Wenger’s resignation and beginning to look forward to this new reign. Is it a promising sign that Emery has seemingly instilled a winning mentality, a resilience and resolve, or is it concerning that the performances are requiring such mental strength?

It is difficult to know whether Arsenal should be praised for their ability to win when they are not playing well or be criticised for their inability to play well in the first place. There is great tension between their performances and their results. Long-term, the performances will have to improve. The recent run of good form cannot continue without a change in the process. But it still seems harsh to overly critique a team that has not lost since August.

How Emery will lead this club in the coming years remains to be seen. But, for now, there are two things that are true: the performances must improve; the mentality already has.