Burnley are one of those clubs I wish would get relegated. They remind me of Bolton Wanderers under Big Sam. Tough to beat admittedly, as Sean Dyche will have his players well drilled, ready to get stuck in and prepared to battle it out until the end. One minute they are beating Man Utd 2-0 at Old Trafford, the next they’re losing to Aston Villa so they’re as inconsistent. Like us really. Only goal difference separates us and them on the league table. After yesterday’s results, we dropped into 12th place. Six points off a relegation place, six points away from fifth place.
The Opta stats are in our favour for this one:
- Burnley have lost their last 11 matches against Arsenal in all competitions, a run stretching back to March 2010.
- Arsenal have won their last 10 league games against Burnley – they last won 11 in a row against an opponent between 1994 and 2004 against Manchester City.
- Burnley haven’t led for a single minute in 11 Premier League games against Arsenal.
The home match against Burnley was a tight affair with us coming out on top 2-1. Goals from Lacazette and Aubameyang either side of Burnley’s goal gave Unai Emery one of his few victories this season before being sacked. Debutant Dani Ceballos was the star of the show that day and it looked like we’d got ourselves a great player in on loan. I think it’s fair to say that not always has that been the case but whilst he was an easy target for criticism, those around him were fairing little better. But the reasons behind that demise of the team went deeper than just players being out of form. The mood seemed to drop as the season continued and then Unai Emery was gone.
Fast forward to now. All of seven weeks later and the mood appears very different. We look less weak, less disorganised and certainly less disinterested. I would really like to see Dani Ceballos in this enthusiastic and organised team because I think he too will have benefited from Mikel Arteta’s style of coaching. Why wouldn’t he when everyone else seems to? If Mesut Ozil starts today, I’ll be surprised, and disappointed. Away at Burnley is not for the feint hearted. Today is a ‘roll up your sleeves’ day.
Going by the injury list on the official site, both Cedric Soares and Pablo Marí could be in the squad. Kolasinac and Mustafi were both in training yesterday which is good news but it looks like they won’t feature today. Mind you, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Kolasinac in the starting lineup at all. Both David Luiz and Auba are back from suspension so things are looking a tad better as far as availability goes.
Ever since Arteta took over, this season was always the beginning of a new era. Not a quick fix, not a results over performance period either. In fact the very opposite in my opinion. It’s a time for new ideas to be expressed, grasped and carried out over time. A time for rebuilding confidence, instilling self belief and getting this group of players enjoying playing the game again. Of course we want to move up the league table and winning games like today will certainly help but more importantly, games like this one is about continuing to improv our away form. Standing up against the rough and tumble Burnley will no doubt dish out and getting a result.
And finishing the game with eleven men on the pitch….
At least I`m happy……………………..ballon burst and out come blue confetti! 🙂
I’ve accidentally hit the publish tab instead of save so another post has gone up.
Agree re Ozil Potter. I like the way Willock opts runs at players, he’s more direct and although not perfect, who is, at least he moves play forward instead of looking for a safe ball.
I think we can all say that it was 2 hours that we won’t get back again.
Just another instalment in the Arteta progression of ups and downs. A draw away is an acceptable result keeps us clear of the bottom we just need few wins at home and we head for next season.
Time to take Ozil out and give Willock his chance , Also give Pepe some time , it’s time to prepare , let’s see what Mari and Soares can do as Tierney was injured when we got him and probably has never been properly fit since and quite possibly never will be.
On the other side Bellerin has been out for so long and has lost pace on his return he needs time to get it back if it does.
Arteta has a lot to do ,especially at the back . We need to survive this season and look to the future.
Absolutely Adam. He’s been terrible for a while.
You could add Lacazette to that Rico.
Interesting that Sterling gets booked for a challenge almost identical to Aubas for which he was sent off.
The performance was terribly disappointing but not surprising imo. Always thought there would be ups and downs as the season plays out.
Personally, I think the inclusion of Ozil gives an opposition a bit of a boost because he’s so easy to keep out of the game. He doesn’t like any physicality and pretty much gives up after the first challenge.
We might as well play with ten men. Hardly helps his teammates who have to work harder.
I’d say the team’s mindset is a much more relevant issue than Ozil myself.
That performance was straight out of the Unai Emery songbook.
Unbelievable team selection, back to playing sideways and inviting the Burnley players to crowd our defenders into misplaced passes and panicky clearances.
I don’t think we won a single fifty-fifty ball, we even lost out on many sixty-forty ones which were in our favour.
Aubameyang and Lacazette wasted the few scoring opportunities we managed to create.
Why is Ozil playing out wide? He is so easy to isolate when he is so close to the touchline. If he is going to play, it should be in the middle where he would have options on both sides.
Not that there is any hint of a conspiracy, but both Ozil and Torreira were booked for the first foul they committed.
Agree Jm. Ozil is a luxury we can’t afford. Literally imo. I’d really hoped to see Ceballos for this game and Guendouzi instead of Torreira baffled me. Perhaps it was purely a height choice.
They continue to insist on Ozil. We were playing with 10 (no, 9.5) since the middle of the first half and we didn’t want to risk replacing Saka. It could have been fatal but it wore out the team (who had played in the middle of the week …). Xhaxa and Ghendouzi never worked. It is the results and the statistics that says it. In addition, Ghendouzi is very slow to decide.
Bellerin is far from what he was, I don’t understand why Pepa don ‘t play, 3 strikers are confused and they need to be where they should be. The best, to a great surprise, must have been Mustafi, who fought the whole game against a player bigger than himself, stronger than him and won his duels.
We continue on 10th.
Yep, pretty grim…
Absolute s**t.
That was straight out of the Unai Emery songbook.
Pathetic.
Another terrorist attack in London… No fatalities thank goodness.
Torreira, Pepe and Ceballos for Ozil, Lacazette and Guendouzi imo.
We look disjointed..
A few words of wisdom from Arteta at half time wouldn’t go amiss.
What a mess
Need Pepe on for Lacazette imo, Martinelli on the left and Auba through the middle..
Ceballos on for Ozil too. Simples. 😅😅
I don’t know how much more of this tripe I can watch. We’re are throwing away possession time after time. There’s no urgency and no attacking intent.
We’re allowing Burnley the freedom of the pitch by playing so deep.
Ditto. Two clear cut opportunities.
I’m really getting pissed off with our sloppy finishing, we should be 2-0 up…
Cicero, I tried to read that link but all the invasive ads just made me click off it, the guy who wrote it looks about 14… 😉
12.43 Kev, anything is possible I guess where money is concerned.
Poor header from Lacazette
I read Arteta was in support of the move.
Who knows, matters not now until the summer I guess.
Well it looks likely that it was Arteta’s decision to block Ozil’s transfer.
If Unai Emery fielded this starting eleven in the same fixture, he’d be lambasted before a ball was kicked.
I wasn’t expecting that starting eleven..
Mustafi is not injury?
Ozil again…
Bizarre team selection, Torreira on the bench, Mustafi in Central defence.
It’s safe to say Arteta is an Ozil man.
Fingers crossed.
Kev, if you look at the last few comments on yesterday’s post I put a link to an alternative source for the Ozil story.
Subs. Martinez, Sokratis, Torreira, Pepe, Ceballos, Willock Nketiah.
Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Luiz, Saka, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Ozil, Aubameyang, Martinelli, Lacazette.
Neither of our new signings make the bench.
It’s possible of course Rico, that a Qatari club actually did make an offer that was acceptable to both Ozil and Arsenal whilst covering all his wages, but that Ozil’s representatives wanted his contract paid off as well, something like 18 months @ £1.4m per month?
Afternoon Kev. I’m of the opinion that had anyone made an offer for Ozil, Arsenal would have snapped their hands off. Getting his wages off the books would be a big thing.
Afternoon Rico, thanks for the post.
Mesut Ozil to Qatar, how much truth was in that rumour because it has all the ingredients of a classic stir stirring hit job?
I’ve not read anything anywhere else except in the Mirror, traditionally an unreliable outlet.
No doubt News Now will be awash with recycled versions of it…
I`m off to future grandchild gender reveal party at the same time as Arsenal kick off…………………..will they be playing for Arsenal or Arsenal Women ?…………………..a Mikel or a Mikealla ?………………… I`ll let you know later!
Morning all.
Now is the time for us to get on a winning run.
We are clearly a better side than 6 weeks back, but we really do need some wins now.
Let’s hope we maintain our record v this mob!!
3 points is what comes from them, Rico. 😉
I don’t like what comes with them Lc..
Are you insane, Rico ?………………………
Why would you want a team that we are guarenteed 3 points against to be relegated ?………………..Burnley should be our favourite team, I`d love to meet them in The Champions League Final ! 😆