The unsung hero, signs of Howe-ball & Bruno at it again – 3 hidden stats from 2-0 win vs Arsenal

Since Monday’s 2-0 win over Arsenal, Eddie Howe has spoke about the performance against Arsenal being the best of his tenure so far.

It was difficult to pick any faults in the display, as we dominated proceedings for large periods. Considering we don’t have anything to play for, it is impressive that Howe managed to get that level of performance out of the players. It speaks of the excellent team spirit at the club and that bodes well for next season.

Below we discuss three interesting stats from the game.

Possession – 52%

This was one of the most impressive parts of the game. We have been trying to become more dominant in matches, as Eddie Howe likes his team to have possession of the ball. It has been difficult to get this trait into the team during the season, but this game shows that they are capable.

At times, we were having 65/70% of the ball in periods of the game and were pushing Arsenal further and further back. It will be fascinating to see the progress that Howe can make over a full pre-season. 

The hope will be that this level of performance with the ball can become the norm. To do it against Arsenal is highly impressive.

Jamaal Lascelles – Eight successful aerial duels and nine ball recoveries

The early departure of Fabian Schar was a blow, after he was knocked out by a challenge by Eddie Nketiah. Jamaal Lascelles came on and delivered one of his most assured performances for a long time.

His reading of the game was excellent, as shown by his nine ball recoveries. Only Joelinton (11), Bruno Guimaraes (11) and Emil Krafth (10) made more and all three played more minutes than Lascelles. 

In addition to his reading of the game, he won all of his eight aerial duels. It was a performance that showed Lascelles is committed to the project. Some believe he could be moved on in the summer, but this proved he could still have a role to play. 

Bruno Guimaraes – 9 Passes into the final third

As usual, we could pick out five or six stats to discuss when it comes to Bruno Guimaraes. The one that caught my eye was his nine passes into the final third. This was more than any other player on the pitch and underlines his intelligence on the pitch. 

Guimaraes has quickly emerged as our best player, as he controls the tempo and sets the agenda on the pitch. He has become the central figure in our possession play and has replaced the playmaking abilities of Jonjo Shelvey.

His vision often leads to the Brazilian playing dangerous forward passes to put the opposition onto the back foot. Arsenal couldn’t deal with him and he was a key reason for our dominant display.

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