Former Premier League striker, Jay Bothroyd, has slammed Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres for his post-match comments in which he suggested that a ‘dry pitch’ had affected Arsenal’s performance.
Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Bournemouth in front of their own fans at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty equalized Junior Kroupi’s initial goal, but Alex Scott netted the decisive goal for Bournemouth in the 74th minute at the Emirates Stadium.
This defeat leaves Arsenal still nine points ahead at the top of the Premier League; however, Manchester City now has two games in hand and is set to face the Gunners next Sunday.
After the game, Gyokeres blamed the dryness of the pitch for their defeat but Bothroyd disagreed, saying the Swede’s comment was silly.
“Listen, to me, that’s just silliness,’ Bothroyd added. “I was at the game, I saw the pitch. The pitch looked perfect to me.
“The sprinklers were on before the game. They were on at half-time. Both teams actually play on that same pitch. I don’t know if you know that.
“Both teams play on it, and Bournemouth took the opportunities when they came. I hear what he’s saying when he talks about being positive going forward, because I think in this situation, you kind of have to look at that, but at the same time, you really need to analyse what happened today because it was really poor.
“I think the xG (expected goals) was 0.19 in open play at home. That is just not good enough for a team of the calibre of players that Arsenal have. It’s just way off. It’s just not good enough.
“Too many times they get into a position where they are just knocking the ball around the pitch.
“Raya is literally touching the ball. He has the ball at his feet, probably more than any other player on the pitch. And obviously, you’re 80 yards from goal. I don’t get that.”
Up next for the Gunners in the Premier League is a crucial game against Manchester City which could decide the destination of the title this season.