Arsenal showed up to Burnley away and put up a fight to be proud of. The oldest team of brutes in the Premier League did exactly what they always do… they battled, threw long balls at our defence, and they worked the second balls like demons. Arsenal were more than a match for them and they showed the sort of character that gets the fans moist at the loins.
The difference on the day was a Martin Odegaard freekick. After 2 seasons of watching David Luiz sky shots into the car park, it was a relief to see the young Norwegian place a freekick over the wall to break the deadlock.
The toughest part of the day was watching the clunkiness in the final third. We’re just not quite there when we break. The positions we’re taking up are good, the distance we’re out isn’t far, but it’s apparent that we’re not a well-oiled machine yet. The players are too good for that to remain the case for much longer. But it needs work.
Burnley don’t make it easy for you. The grass is a bit longer, they don’t water the pitch, and they close down space really well which makes it hard to play behind the lines. That didn’t stop us having a crack, but everything was a little bit off. Our players, when breaking at speed, were playing balls a little bit behind the runners. Some of the decision making in the box was very average. We didn’t make enough of our shots.
The Hale-Enders didn’t have their best day out. I thought ESR was off the pace most of the game and he struggled with the physicality. Saka has been off all season, he’s clearly struggling with a Euros hangover, but it’ll come. Bergkamp came back from the World Cup in 1998 and he was very poor for a while until he broke his duck with goals against Aston Villa. This is our reality though, we have a lot of young players who are going to be in and out with form. What I love is that our fans are on fire this season. Now they understand the path we’re on, they are backing the kids, because getting on their backs isn’t going to help anyone.
Defensively, we were really very good when you consider that 60% of the players are new. The boring droning of fans throwing shade at our summer has been ‘BEN WHITE IS SHORT AND CAN’T HEAD THE BALL HE IS ALSO GOING TO GET BULLIED BECAUSE HE IS PRETTY.’ Well, that didn’t really work out. He won 4 of 7 duels and he made 6/6 headed clearances. That was a better percentage than Gabriel, who was also excellent. Oddly, Ben White’s problem was on the ground, he was caught out a few times and he made a few uncharacteristic erroneous passes.
Gabriel was a man-monster. He matched Burnley’s strikers for brutality all day. He was absolutely dominant. He’s a great counter to Ben White and I’m sure the partnership they are about the form is going to be very exciting. Tomiyasu won 4/4 of his aerial duels. He’s some player. To adapt to the Premier League like he has so fast is a testament to his talent. I think we have a player there. Lots to come from him.
My MoTM award goes to Aaron Ramsdale. The vicious internet stuff that went on before he signed looks even sillier than it did a few months ago. The keeper is vocal, he makes very fast decisions, and he’s dominant in the box. Watching him take responsibility for high balls and catch them was something else. He was a real difference-maker. Moping up for Ben White with the tackle that was nearly given as a penalty was a 3 point saver. I’m not even really fussed about his shot-stopping, it’s all the other bits he has that Bernd doesn’t. It’s early doors, but I really, really like what I see.
Auba wasn’t exactly at his peak from a striking perspective, but he created three chances, he did a lot of dirty work, and I thought he ran like a captain. It’s hard for him, the system we play need a Calvert-Lewin, but regardless, we need to get him more chances in the box. He has to be a 30 goal a season striker this season, so something needs to be amended so we can release him.
A special shout to Martin Odegaard who looks a Rolls Royce of a player. His freekick was the special sauce we’ve been lacking. Stunning stuff. Overall though, I just love what I see. He’s aggressive with his pressing, he’s great at controlling possession, I like that his passing is getting more ambitious, but I really love his leadership. He’s always trying to lift the team. Nothing is more motivating than getting binned off by a mega club, he’s going places with us. A top game from him.
Also, a shout for the subs. I thought they were good today. Tavares did a solid job, his run was so, so powerful. He has it all if he can apply himself. Lokonga and AMN came on a did a good job in midfield. I was particularly impressed with Ainsley. He looked super focused on the job. Bigger picture here, Arteta is learning from past mistakes, he’s brought the player in from the cold and he’s giving him a go after the debacle of the summer. Fans will love that. Player has to do a job, but it’s nice to see him getting minutes.
Arsenal have done the job that was needed. We’re not off track now. There’s a big game midweek in the league cup, we’ll want a win there. Then the big one, the cup final, a North London derby of great significance. Spurs have been ropey this season, Arsenal have also been off colour, this is the first mega test of faith. If Arteta delivers a result, it’ll go a very long way to restoring a bit of faith. Lose? It’s not even on the agenda.
Right, listen to the podcast or watch the video. It’s me and Matt. Johnny has his boys birthday party. IT IS STILL GOOD THO.
Hey
Third?
1st!
2nd
Denied.
3rd
Tr4phy!
Lets go, aah “comment awaiting moderation…”
5th
6th
7th
Art8ta!
Sids a metrosexual!
Ah, the accidental tr4phy. I will take it. Good day for Arsenal today. Pedro is right. Next weekend is really important.
I read an article saying that Reiss Nelson was injured in his first training session for Feyenoord and their manager questioned Arsenal’s training methods saying the player was not used to the intensity. After watching this game it looks like the Feyenoord manager may be right. Partey and Tierney got injured as Burnley upped the tempo and most of our players seemed knackered but we don’t even play high tempo football. To my eyes Odegaard looked the most athletic player in our side and that is quite worrying. Tavares looks an able replacement for Tierney but if Partey is out… Read more »
Leno’s body language was really off
Had than been Leno involved in a. 50-50 penalty call, he was would sauntered off looking guilty . He won’t have been voiceferous enough to make a referee question the call
That second goal Brentford scored would have been reviewed had Leno protested more forcefully. It only had to have been reviewed but the ref to change the call, instead Leno,just shrugged his shoulders,
Sids a spornosexual
IQ I have said this for a long time.. we don’t look fit! We rarely play particularly high tempo stuff but still look exhausted and gassed out when we do try to up the gears.. The aimless pressing probably doesn’t do the gas tanks much good! Overall a good 3 points away.. but the football is shit let’s be honest! How we can’t slide a simple 10 yard pass to put somebody in is quite alarming. Saka, Pepe and Auba all guilty of it today! Tough to watch.. could have been 3 if we were able to slide a simple… Read more »
Receding So unfair on Leno who has saved us so many points. Come on, we played two teams that ordered fcuk all in attack.Seriously it isn’t. Leno always has that lost, confused puppy look on his face. I remember last season, I think it was Matt Ryan’s 2nd or 3rd game, last minute, we needed a goal and he left his post. My immediate reaction was ‘Leno will never do that’.Guess what? The next game we needed a goal and Leno had to do the same thing.I just think we need a keeper with a mind of his own. When… Read more »
Sal
Sid’s a trisexual. He’ll try anything or anyone sexual.
Burnley got smacked 4-0 by leeds at home last season but you Englandsworst the resident Worzel Gummidge talking about hay and kids in a field. WEIRDO!
Nothing unfair about Leno’s demotion, Ramsdale has taken this moment well and the #1 is his to loose.
Called competition for place.
KroenkephobeSeptember
Always getting lucky, can’t fault that!
Can’t see a single reason to reinstall Leno back into the starting line up.
I thought the passing was so ponderous but then began to wonder if the grass was left long. Thank you for clarifying. Those passes rolled so slowly.
Leno faced Chelsea and City, Ramsdale Norwich and Burnley. Like for like opposition really, totally fair comparison.
Anyways moot point, Ramsdale is the chosen one for you and long may he reign.
IQ, their manager retracted the comment and Partey was just cramping. Weird to want to go there afte a win. Not as weird as Leno sympathy crew after a Ramsdale MOTM performance.
I’ll take the win.
Physically, arsenal are really improving, and overall I can only hope the team develops a better chemistry.
While I can’t fault any players commitment. I’ll like to see pepe dropped for Saka and matinelli at the left.
#COYG
I’m trying to see things from Arteta’s POV. He must be delighted with the new players, they fit like a glove. And, with a few exceptions, so do the others. So he is likely to be focusing on the exceptions.
The ones who will adapt – like Eddie – he will want to persevere with. The ones who won’t – like Leno – he’ll want to be rid of. I suspect that Auba is another.
Everything that doesn’t fall in line what your thoughts is weird. What else is new
Still waiting for this Arteta footballing revolution.
Not seen at this point.
It was noticeable that Ramsdale dealt well with the aerials in the box claiming them well and this with opposing players breathing down his neck. This is something that we see Leno struggling with or making a meal of in the past
.Already just on aerial command of your own box Ramsdale looks better than Leno in that respect but as has been said we have yet to find out how good or bad Ramsdale is overall.
Certainly seems it would be harsh to drop him at this point.
Another going for broke seizing his moment was Taveras, that run had PV4 written all over it right until he reached the final third and big boy just couldn’t help himself. And that you cannot fault even if the smart play was maintaining possession with 2 mins left. Ovia Precisely what i’d like to see regardless of how poor Martinelli was against Brentford. We know he’ll make the necessary runs and thats what’s required at the moment, and with that have to imagine he’ll find form with some playing time. Besides Saka more effective playing as inverted winger, would balance… Read more »
If Leno is re-instated for the Spurs match I’m sure the Arteta afficiandos will back this and tell us all that it is the right thing to do. Or those that rate Leno higher than others.
Don’t question The Teets.
Ishola
“Reinstating Leno”
Arteta may be an over complicated soul but that may be beyond the realms of overthinking.
Battered in the second half.
A team with more about them in the final third than Burnley and we would have been in real trouble.
But happily Burnley didn’t have that firepower.
Ramsdale not the MOTM for me. That goes to Gabriel.
Ishola battered in the second half until Sambi and ANM came on. More even after that.
SALPARADISENYC
Well said bro.🤝
Sal
“Reinstating Leno”Arteta may be an over complicated soul but that may be beyond the realms of overthinking.”
Well we have seen Arteta ruled by the so-called seniority of a player before.
We saw this play out in the Leno-Martinez episode.
We will more than likely see this regarding Xhaka as well.
But from a purely sporting point of view and putting aside prior pecking order and seniority of player it would just seem wrong to drop Ramsdale at this stage.
Pedro
It doesn’t matey rain whether the Feyenoord manager retracted the statements
It’s that he made them in the first place.
I recall you never accounted fir all those retractions to the initial comments the Hertha Berlin manager made about Guendouzi.
Sorry from last post
Was a decent performance and we stood up to the test. We only scored once but the amount of times we broke up the pitch and the players made the wrong choice or over hit the pass was ridiculous. The good thing is we’re getting into these positions where we outnumber them on the break or it’s 4 on 4 or 3 on 3 and we have the opposition running back toward their own goal.
3 pts in the bag, now on to the next game.
*it doesn’t matter whether the Feyenoord manager retracted the statements
It’s that he made them in the first place.
Sorry guys but Odegaard’s free kick was the difference on the day, so tentatively…….MOTM?
Probably best not to get carried away with the win, however enjoyable it was to get the three points.
Today’s result means Burnley have the following record at Turf Moor in their last 13 Premier League games:
Won: O
Lost: 7
Drawn: 6
Battered in the 2nd half? Give over.
Ramsdale is proving me wrong already not just his shot stopping (not had that much to do) but it’s what he brings to the party. Someone else said it that he had his own mind and knows what to do and when to do it. Leno was robotic and brought panic. AR is proactive and his confidence shines through. Good to see.
Tom
MOTM for me – Ødegaard.
Which is quality considering some of the prematch comments pointed at him.
There is perpetual misery on here and it’s not even up for debate. Very sad..
MOTM for me Gabriel. Stood tall, was aggressive and on the front foot.
It’s a tough call to give Ramsdale MOTM. He was excellent, but he only had one good shot to save and cleaned up after White’s messy back pass. His kicking and command of his area were superb though.
I think Gabriel shades it for MOTM. He’s not only playing well but also showing some real leadership out there.
It’s funny when people point and say you are just about negativity. What these people do is only latch onto the criticisms and concerns and forget the positives that are also said as well. It seems all they want to hear is positives and nthing else but of course it doesn’t work like that. That’s if you want to have some subjectivity. It was said today that Ramsdale was a positive, the freekick by Odegaard was very good and the first half by and large was quite positive as well. But of course this is forgotten by those that just… Read more »
Gabriel looked like Keown this afternoon.
A wins a win and 3 very much needed points. It’s a shame we have to feel this way against Burnley, but there you go. Arsenal are very frustrating to watch particularly in attack, but the defence seems to be much better. Ramsdale looks to be a better prospect than Leno. A reliable keeper whom the back four trust is a good base. There was one moment when Tomiyasu had acres of space in front of him and could easily have driven to the 18 yard box to draw a defender or shoot, but instead stopped and played a nothing… Read more »
“MOTM for me – Ødegaard.
Which is quality considering some of the prematch comments pointed at him.“
Sal, keeping an open mind is tougher for some than others I suppose.
I thought Arsenal overpaid for Ramsdale but so far he’s looked worth the money.
I thought we overpaid for White and I haven’t seen anything from him to retract that opinion.
Odegaard was a fair value,I thought, and that’s why I preferred him over Maddison —the Bergkamp of Legrove, who hasn’t worth near the £70m rumored.
isn’t worth
Ramsdale was never the MOM it was Gabriel.for me doesn’t say very much for the 50m White.
So two bottom dwellers got beat 1:0 the bare expected minimum nothing to write home about, Let’s see what happens in the NLD and against BHA if those are two wins then yes there is hope.
We can praise Ramsdale without having to shoot down Leno. Both are our goalies. This recent bashing of Leno irritates me.
Pedro,
This was a game where I expected a fragile Arsenal to lose. I’m impressed that they held out for the win without ever allowing Burnley to feel unlucky not to get an equaliser. SShhhhh. Whisper it Pedro. ‘Bring on the NLD.
Like the way we set up a dummy feall for the goal… Good thinking
A win is a win.
Nice free kick!
That was the difference.
xG still in the toilet, 2 goals in 5 games.
Good enough for 10th place and boring futbol.
Wake me when something changes.
Good enough
Agree No question Ø best value this summer. I was pretty vocal in opposing Ramsdale and White the keeper looked a depth signing which made zero sense and White’s fee not area I wanted club to splash that cash taking things into account. Notably Saliba whose saga became legend but when all stripped down has very similar attributes to White. We needed a finisher, think Le Grove pretty unified in fact we’ll be let down by our finishing this season. Taking Laca, Auba and Pepe into third season hoping for different result was dim. Arteta utilising Ramsdale with immediate effect… Read more »
Tom 👆🏼👆🏼
Auba and Pepe shouldn’t play in the same lineup. They are like oil and water. They won’t try to look for each other on the pitch. I would try Laca and see whether the attack has more chemistry.
Like the way we set up a dummy feall for the goal… Good thinking …
https://images.app.goo.gl/3UViJgYgorM5EiQx8
Nothing comparing to the awful Burnley pitch of course
Sal
Good post .
I also think that contentment has set in
for the front three ..
To early for balo…. But if Eddie comes in he scores.
He must be delighted with the new players, they fit like a glove.
EB
Aha! So you’re acquainted with the OJ Simpson trial then? I rest my case EB – you’re an irredeemable apologist for our worst ever manager. I sentence you to following Arteta religiously in his next job as coach of Dinamo Vladivostock.
Ramsdale looks good, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by him, but Gabriel is probably my MOTM. He was a monster this game, a pretty dominant center back performance. On another note, Ramsdale looking promising in a very small sample size against the worst teams in the league is no reason to bash Leno. Ramsdale looks like the number one from here on out, and good for him for winning the job. Leno’s form has been poor for a while now, but for most of his time here, he has been amongst our best players. Granted, we’ve been gash for two years… Read more »
Sal, Agreed. Ramsdale is looking good, but I can’t help but feel the money spent on him and especially on Ben White could have been spent more wisely. White had a poor game, but I’m still hopeful he’ll come good. However, that fifty mil could have bought us an elite midfielder to partner with Partey—Bissouma or Neves maybe—or a striker to replace Auba. Or Aouar and someone else. Bottom line is that we splurged in two positions that were far from our weakest. We are a generally poorly run club, so I guess it is not really a surprise. What’s… Read more »
🚨 #TakehiroTomiyasu for #Arsenal against #Burnley:
◉ 100% aerial duels won
◉ 100% duels won
◉ 79 touches (most)
◉ 5 total duels
◉ 5 recoveries
◉ 5 clearances
◉ 4 aerial duels
◉ 1 interception
◉ 1 tackle
#MikelArteta and Pierre Emerick-#Aubameyang were impressed.😍
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/18/paul-merson-gambling-is-a-horrible-addiction-your-career-passes-you-by
Arsenal great Paul Merson talking in the Guardian about previous addictions in his life. I loved the guy – Arsenal were irresistible with him and Rocky on the pitch. He had a wicked goal celebration too where he’d sprint with his arm outstretched and finger pointing. I think he has a book coming out too which should be worth a read. Just passing it on.
It’s a little premature but Mr Grimsdale reminded me of a certain Jon Lukic today. Safe, no-nonsense and capable of inspiring confidence in his defence. Early days but that’s about the biggest complement I can pay him at this stage.
The PL rules stipulate the grass height to be 30 mm ( 1.14inches) or less, with most pitches averaging between 20-22mm.
So assuming Burnley let their grass grow to the maximum height allowed, which would’ve been checked by officials before the kickoff, a hair over one inch tall is hardly a hayfield.
Arteta complained about this last season so obviously he knew what was in store.
Just have all your training sessions leading up to the game done on similarly taller grass
and it will be less of a problem.
The talk of grass levels is silly and especially so from Arteta previously.
We are not talking peak Wenger football here.
This is Arteta time. It’s average football so to think we are being hindered from playing our silky top quality football under Arteta seems a bit off.
https://the18.com/en/soccer-photos/18-worst-football-pitches-fields
Kroenkephobe, If you s rod own to the 11th pic you’ll realize what Englandsbest saw when Odegaard was taking his free kick.
Scroll down
If Leno can’t handle the competition then he needs to go. We can’t be carrying fragile passengers who can’t handle working hard and being up for the fight.
With Karl Hein and Arthur Okonkwo on our books we have two young keepers who would be suitable as our back up.
Sell Leno for £20m+ and reinvest in the squad, perhaps put the money toward another top CM in January?
Nice one Tom. Artetapologists blaming the sod! Liked some of those images. Don’t know if you’ve ever been to Burnley but there are certain similarities with Chernobyl (!) although the Ukrainian town has a lot less radiation I gather… Turd Moor is a charmless little place although the adjoining cricket pitch is rather twee in an LS Lowry kind of way. Beer in the surrounding pubs though is pretty spectacular. It was as cold as arseholes when I went there. Had to say I was disappointed not to see former Derby pitch, the baseball ground, in that list. A real… Read more »
Moist at the loins? I see the Arteta hype train is back at full speed. I’m happy about the three points and the fact that our defence looked solid mid table rather than Championship level. But that’s about it. No moisture.
The football is still turgid and uninspired. As happy as I am that we’re not looking like a complete joke of a club anymore, we need a massive improvement from here.
Standouts for me today Gabriel Ode Tommy and Ramsdale so far so good with our young keeper, I like the cut of his gib
LoveSausageSeptember 18, 2021 23:51:32
Moist at the loins? I see the Arteta hype train is back at full speed. I’m happy about the three points and the fact that our defence looked solid mid table rather than Championship level. But that’s about it. No moisture. The football is still turgid and uninspired. As happy as I am that we’re not looking like a complete joke of a club anymore, we need a massive improvement from here.
Have to agree Arteta ball is shocking no cohesion
Serge,
It’s so predictable. I kept thinking about the old times when we had teams that would surprise me several times each time we played. Haven’t been surprised (positively) in a long time. And if I can see things coming than so can every opposing team manager who actually gets paid to understand football.
Leeds, heard Hein had a good game for Estonia.
LoveSausage, we kept a cleansheet today and we have rarely defended badly under Arteta. We had the 3rd best defence in the league last season.
The football was great in patches today. Can’t believe you came away from a very tough game away at Burnley feeling like that wasn’t a good performance. Even Adrian Durham said we were good today.
Ish, talk of the grass is just facts mate. You can say it doesn’t matter, but you aren’t a professional footballer having to deal with it. It’s a Burnley thing, it ruffled our passing all day, but we won, so we can talk about it. Ben White calling it out as a reason his backpass was so bad.
Pedro it was a good result and a clean sheet but the footie is not great atm the result is more important and with experience we will improve I am sure of it, the main worry is where are the goals coming from?
Sal, Arsenal were really keen on Tammy, but they couldn’t move Lacazette on. The striker position was very much a one in one out. Just like central midfield with Xhaka.
No doubt we’ll move for a Calvert Lewin type next summer. Hopefully Arteta kicks this team into gear so the spend is justified. Imagine a brute up front with this team?
Mr Serge, there were really nice patches out there today. Burnley aren’t ever going to let you play elite football against them. They are well organised destroyers. This is a very, very new team. We defended really well, put a shift in, and did enough to take a great 3 points away from him. Fantastic team performance.
Toney would be good, for us I like his all action play
Serge, it’s got to be Oshimen.
Pedro I was never unhappy with our buys this summer if we have a striker that can hold the ball up we would be far better, it’s going to take a while for this team to learn what each other can do, Mikel is going nowhere for now especially as the fans seem to be onside last week at home and today the fans were excellent
Pedro, Like I said, I’m happy with the result. We beat a difficult albeit shit team. It’s what I expect Arsenal to do. My point is that you’re over hyping it. Just like that 3rd best defence stat. Back when Emery was killing it results-wise you weren’t buying it. You were saying that the way we played didn’t pass the eye test. And btw, I agreed with you 100%. But with Arteta, the eye test doesn’t seem to apply. Right now every game (except those we lose) is a small margins game. Like, razor thin. That’s not a sign of… Read more »
Pedro didn’t Napoli pay like 65 mil for him? He would be bloody expensive very talented though
LoveSausage, Burnley away is a tough game. Especially with the one of the youngest teams in the league. We passed the eye test today. It was a battling performance, there were some good bits of football, and had the passing been a little better in the final third we’d have had 4 goals. I didn’t buy into Emery because I knew what was going on at the training ground, I could see what was happening on the pitch, and I knew the players didn’t rate him. Very different times now. Total rebuild, a new vision for the club, and a… Read more »
Pedro, I don’t expect us to smash everyone 5-0 but I’d like to see a few comfortable wins at least. That’s usually a good sign that the tactics and the footballing philosophy has settled. And whilst I see your point about the six new players, the counter argument is that Arteta has had plenty of time and the fact that we have to play 6 new guys at such a critical time is his own doing. It’s not reasonable to just restart the clock as soon as there’s a change. I genuinely hope that the new guys will live up… Read more »
What is important is that Arsenal are playing with a settled team with the minimum of rotation.
One interesting Stat published in the Saturday edition of the Daily Telegraph is that the defensive combination of Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel and Tierney is the “tallest” combination to have played for Arsenal in recent times.
There seems to be a lot of different opinions about White’s actual height. The DT suggests that he is 1.88 tall, but concedes that he has in comparison with Gabriel a more lightweight
frame.
LoveSausage, there’s no counter-argument to activating a totally new system with new players.
Arteta and Edu shifted out 21 players, signed 10, and lowered the age profile to the youngest starting 11 in the league inside 18 months.
Would we like to see instant success? Yes. But that’s not how it works unless you can drop Chelsea levels of investment.
We’ll see hammerings, no doubt, but you have to give the new side a bit of time to work each other out.
Pedro
Hein is Estonia’s #1. He is more than capable of being our backup.
Coming to think of it, Daniel Ballard (on loan at Millwall) is another player who is a regular player for his country (Northern Ireland).
Along with Azeez I want to see Arteta give Ballard a spot in our first team next season.
Mics Exactly water under bridge now work with best you have at moment that absolutely looks to be Ramdale who had to be called Ramrod by his lads growing up. Regarding White said it earlier looks like he spent night on the lash, he’ll find his way just has that vibe. In the end it was a clean sheet. Pedro, No doubt Arteta pushed hard for another option up front, can’t fault him for wage package these guys are on making them nearly impossible to shift. That said i’ve dealt with a result based industry giving zero fucks for anything… Read more »