Match report – Participant scores – Arteta’s response – Highlights
Two targets in a dominant first half have been sufficient for Arsenal to make it 5 wins in a row within the Premier League towards a Burnley aspect who, whereas dogged, couldn’t actually reside with us in that opening 45 minutes.
The staff was just about as anticipated, though William Saliba, a pre-game doubt, was match sufficient to begin. Immediately you possibly can see the sample, Burnley sat off, refused to press the centre-halves after we have been in possession, however reacted actually shortly every time we shifted the ball broad to shut down the area on the market.
With out the reside weblog (which serves as my approach of recapping the sport afterwards), I used to be making notes on a bit of paper with a pen. Old fashioned. Across the 11′ mark, I wrote ‘Gonna be robust!’, after which a few minutes later we received a nook. Declan Rice’s supply was sensible, Gabriel knocked it again throughout purpose, and Viktor Gyokeres was there to nod residence from shut vary.
It appears redundant to say it’s simply what we would have liked, however when the opposition are arrange like this, it will possibly get irritating in a short time. It didn’t actually change the Burnley method a lot, given how early it was, however it helped us chill out a bit. And from there we must always have put the sport out of sight within the first half. There have been probabilities for Bukayo Saka, one tame effort he ought to have executed higher with, and one from which Martin Dubravka made a superb save. The comply with up from Leandro Trossard, who together with Riccardo Calafiori was very vigorous down the left hand aspect, was cleared off the road.
The second purpose got here from one other set-piece: a Burnley nook lengthy throw. We received it away, moved it down the proper hand aspect, and the cross-field cross from Gyokeres to Trossard was sensational. A kind of that will get higher with repeated viewing. The Belgian took it on, stood up a cross, and there was Rice to energy residence a header to make it 2-0. An excellent counter-attacking purpose, and at least we deserved. The primary half stats inform the story very nicely.
There was a change on the break with Gyokeres changed by Mikel Merino after he reported a muscular situation on the break, and with no disrespect to the Spaniard, that was a little bit of a disgrace. I believe that first half was the very best we’ve seen from the summer season signing in an Arsenal shirt, so it will have been good if he’d been in a position to proceed. Hopefully it’s precautionary greater than the rest, and he’s not lacking for too lengthy.
I additionally assume it had an impression on our recreation. We missed his direct working and his maintain up/hyperlink play yesterday was prime class. Merino struggled to make the identical impression, and I believe that allied with the game-state itself, made the second half pretty uneventful. Burnley had a bit extra of the ball and a few of the territory as the sport wound down, searching for a purpose that at all times appeared fairly unlikely due to Arsenal’s defensive power.
It wasn’t simply the again 4 both, as a result of I assumed the second half efficiency from Declan Rice was excellent. The purpose, devoted to his aunt who handed away not too long ago, was his most placing contribution, however every time there was even a touch of Burnley inflicting an issue in our half, he appeared be there to make a sort out, nick the ball, and snuff out the hazard. It was an entire midfield efficiency from a person whose consistency might be simply taken as a right a bit of, so he deserves these props at this time.
Ultimately, the sport completed with out the opposition having a shot on course, though the late free kick which got here off the publish got here near being that. In 4 video games now, Arsenal have allowed only one try on course, and that was mainly a non-attempt when Eddie Nketiah was adjudged to have had a go, however in actuality David Raya plucked the ball off his head. As I mentioned final week, that’s a statistical anomaly.
Afterwards, Mikel Arteta mentioned:
Very completely happy. It’s a very robust place to come back. They’ve misplaced as soon as right here in 18 months, towards Liverpool, with the final kick of the sport from a penalty. I believe we began the sport exceptionally nicely. I believe the primary half was among the best that we’ve performed. Scored two targets, generated one other two or three huge probabilities and conceded nothing. That was a platform as a result of within the second half, we dropped the requirements, particularly with the ball and with our intentions to take extra dangers and play forwards. However once more, defensively, we have been distinctive till the purpose of the free-kick. We have been a bit fortunate that it hit the publish and we stored the clear sheet.
What’s clear is that that is an Arsenal aspect with some actual momentum proper now. 5 wins in a row within the Premier League (hurrah, this implies I can go and get a haircut 🤪), and 9 in a row in all competitions. A bit like Declan Rice, I don’t assume we must always take this as a right. I at all times barely remorse that after we have been a terrific staff earlier than, I didn’t cease to understand how laborious it’s to be this constant, since you really feel like it’ll at all times be thus. And we all know that’s not the case.
The season is lengthy, with numerous ups and downs, and proper now we’re motoring alongside fantastically. Yesterday felt like a staff in cruise management, able to go up a gear or two if wanted, however fortunately that wasn’t the case. And that’s to not disrespect Burnley, by the way in which, it’s only a measure of who we’re proper now and what we’re able to. I’ll by no means, ever get uninterested in writing ‘Had nothing a lot to do’ when doing David Raya’s participant score on Arseblog Information, however let’s not child ourselves there gained’t be occasions when issues are a bit of completely different.
Which is to say, I’m having fun with this loads, and taking the time to understand it, but in addition retaining my ft on the bottom a bit. I’m certain Mikel Arteta’s message to his gamers can be comparable, however proper now it’s laborious to be something aside from actually impressed with what this staff can do in a massively environment friendly approach in all types of various contexts.
Proper, I’ll depart it there for this morning. Have a terrific Sunday people, again tomorrow with extra right here and an Arsecast Further. Till then.
