Keown Frustrated as Arsenal Neglect Dowman; Bothroyd Calls for Martinelli Benching

Martin Keown left scratching his head after watching Arsenal's midfield fail to feed Max Dowman during Saturday's disappointing 2-1 loss to Bournemouth, with the Arsenal legend particularly perplexed by the lack of service to the teenager once he entered the fray off the bench.

The Gunners' afternoon unravelled despite an early lead through Eli Junior Kroupi's opener. Viktor Gyokeres' penalty hauled Bournemouth level before Alex Scott's clinical finish on 74 minutes sealed the points for Andoni Iraola's side. It marked Arsenal's third defeat in four matches across all competitions, leaving them nine points clear of Manchester City, though Pep Guardiola's men possess two games in hand and a date at the Etihad on April 19.

Mikel Arteta's midway substitutions—introducing Dowman, Eberechi Eze, and Leandro Trossard in place of Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Martinelli at the 54-minute mark—failed to spark the creative impetus Arsenal desperately sought.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Keown expressed his frustration: "Arsenal fixed the play and the picture never changed. Arsenal then couldn't develop the play into their midfield players. Even when Dowman came on, we were all screaming give him the ball, but they didn't have enough good control of the ball in the midfield and that is all down to Bournemouth and Arsenal not mixing up their game enough."

Jay Bothroyd, the former Watford and Cardiff City striker, has gone further, insisting that Martinelli's place in the side is no longer guaranteed. The ex-England international believes Dowman merits a starting berth and argued Arsenal must take the plunge if they're to salvage their title charge.

"When I looked at that starting team today, I was thinking to myself, 'okay, Martinelli made an assist during the week. It was a great assist. But he hasn't been good enough this year,'" Bothroyd told Sky Sports. He added: "As far as I'm concerned, Max Dowman needs to start. I don't care no more. Arsenal need to go over the line. That kid, when he plays, he's fearless. He wants the ball. He goes at players. He might lose it, but he goes at them."

Bothroyd also took aim at Viktor Gyokeres' post-match suggestion that pitch conditions had hindered Arsenal's performance, dismissing such excuses outright. "Listen, to me, that's just silliness. 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."

The former Premier League striker reserved his harshest criticism for Arsenal's creative output, highlighting an expected goals figure of just 0.19 from open play—a damning indictment for a squad of their calibre playing at home. "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," Bothroyd concluded.