Blog Archives
Burnley 0-0 Arsenal: Wasteful Gunners Drop Points Again
Aubameyang wasted clear cut chances (via Arsenal.com)
Match Report Match Highlights Post-Match Press Conference
Final Result: Burnley 0-0 Arsenal
Arsenal XI (subs) (4-2-3-1): Leno; Bellerin, Mustafi, D. Luiz, Saka (Torreira); Xhaka, Guendouzi; Aubameyang, Ozil (Willock), Martinelli; Lacazette (Nketiah)
A whole lot has changed since Mikel Arteta took over at the club but the results haven’t been convincing with Arsenal dropping points from good positions. Arsenal has become more compact under the new gaffer, but the club has struggled in the attacking department with the favored center forward, Alexandre Lacazette, still struggling to find the back of the net. When you consider the fact that the team’s top goal scorer, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, shunted to the left flank to accommodate the misfiring French forward, it becomes tiring.
The only time Lacazette was at the danger area was early in the game when he received a lofted ball from Aubameyang but he planted his header wide off the mark. He offered nothing for the entirety of the game before he was replaced by Eddie Nketiah. Seeing Lacazette struggle like this on a consistent basis is painful to watch but Aubameyang was very profligate has he had two cleat cut chances as well as a header that was guided wide,
Arsenal can also thank their lucky stars for Burnley’s Jay Rodriguez shot that hit the underside of the bar but didn’t pass the goal line. At least, the referee had his watch to show him that. This was Arsenal’s 13th draw this season, and the club is still languishing in mid-table after sharing the spoils with Burnley at Turf Moor.
Should the fans expect any better? Maybe. The season has been shambolic but with Arteta at the helm, the performances of certain players have drastically improved. Take a certain Skhodran Mustafi for instance, that has been a horror show in most of his games. The German defender had an awesome outing against Burnley, making clearances, interceptions and blocks with helped his team keep a rare clean sheet. He earned a 9.0 rating in the player rating post published yesterday.
Granit Xhaka’s versatility came into the fore with Bukayo Saka subsitituted at half time due to injury. Arteta confirmed that he had a knee and hip injury, which is a shame bearing in mind that he has been very impressive deputizing in that position. Hopefully, he will get back to full fitness during this two week break in Dubai.
Arsenal’s game against Newcastle comes up in two weeks time, so we will expect the players to be in great spirits ahead of what will be a crunch encounter at the Emirates.
Sayonara.
Follow Gooner Daily on Twitter @goonerdaily. I’ll follow back
Visit Gooner Daily’s Facebook page.
Click on the “Follow button” to join Gooner Daily’s Mailing List
Burnley 0-0 Arsenal: Player Ratings
via Arsenal.com
Burnley hosted Arsenal in Turf Moor bearing in mind that they had lost their last 10 encounters with the Gunners. It was also a good game for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to return to action following his exemplary scoring record against Burnley. The official website has published the match report for your viewing pleasure.
Without further ado, here are the Gooner Daily player ratings for the Burnley vs. Arsenal game.
Starting XI
Bernd Leno: The German shot stopper wasn’t troubled for most of the game but he made one superb save from a Dwight McNeil shot. He will have his cross bar to thank for Jay Rodriguez’s goal-bound effort though. (7)
Skhodran Mustafi: Following his injury in the Bournemouth game, we feared that Mustafi was out for a lengthy period and it was surprising seeing him in the starting XI ahead of Sokratis Papathatoupoulos. The German defense justified his inclusion with a virtuoso performance. (9)
David Luiz: Another tidy performance from the Brazilian center back. He was concussed for his troubles with a double whammy from Nick Pope. (7)
Hector Bellerin: The Arsenal vice-captain is working his way to full fitness and put up another good shift n the right back position. He almost had a deja vu moment where he used his left to fire a shot but it went wide. I look forward to his fight with new signing, Cedric Soares, for a starting berth. (7)
Bukayo Saka: He showed some brilliant attacking play but he was thwarted by an injury that saw him play only for 45 minutes. (7)
Granit Xhaka: Another decent outing for the Swiss army knife, as he deputized as a left back following Saka’s injury. He has become a utility man under Mikel Arteta and we love. (7)
Matteo Guendouzi: He struggled to dictate the tempo of the game and looked overwhelmed. (6)
Mesut Ozil: Another ineffectual performance from the German schemer that got him replaced by a youngster. (5)
Gabriel Martinelli: Played out of position and couldn’t influence play from the right flank. Switched to the left and didn’t have much success either. (6)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Was rusty for missing three games out as he had the best chances to kill the contest. Sadly, he fluffed all of them. (6)
Alexandre Lacazette: Another game, another drought in front of goal. His away goalscoring form is really terrible with his last EPL goal on the road as far back as February 2019. I think it’s high time he spends some time on the bench. (5)
Substitutes
Lucas Torreira: Added some calm to the midfield when he joined the contest and supported Guendouzi admirably. (7)
Joe Willock: Replaced Arsenal’s chief creator and offered nothing in the final third (5)
Eddie Nketiah: Did not play enough to earn a rating. N/A
Follow Gooner Daily on Twitter @goonerdaily. I’ll follow back
Visit Gooner Daily’s Facebook page.
Click on the “Follow button” to join Gooner Daily’s Mailing List
Classic Case of Deja Vu as Arsenal Secure Late Win Against Burnley
I must say that Burnley has been a different outfit under Sean Dyche this season. The only team that has humbled them in the campaign was Manchester City and there’s no shame in that, especially when you remember how they thumped five past fellow top four rivals, Liverpool.
Coming off four clean sheets on the bounce, the home side were very confident and the game yesterday proved it. They matched the Gunners pound for pound and even smashed the post with a well taken shot from Gudmunsson. Arsenal’s back three of Laurent Koscielny, Skhodran Mustafi and Nacho Monreal worked overtime as they continued to receive several aerial onslaughts from the Burnley side. Alexandre Lacazette had one of those games he’d want to quickly forget but there was a moment his quality shone through when he found Aaron Ramsey from the byline but the Welsh midfielder skied his effort over the bar.
Just went it seemed like the Gunners were going to drop points in a weekend where Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham did the same, James Tarkowski was adjudged to have pushed Ramsey in the box, leaving the ref no choice but to point to the spot. It’s one thing to get a penalty with literally the last kick of the game, it’s another to actually convert it. Up stepped Alexis Sanchez, a man so vilified by his fans this season in the wake of his contract saga, but you cannot doubt his commitment on the pitch. Maybe he may join Manchester City or PSG at the end of the season, but he’s still our player and it’s the manager’s responsibility to use him well this season. The Chile converted the spot kick, taking his tally in the league to two goals in two and you know how Sanchez loves to find the back of the net.
That win has propelled Arsenal to fourth place and with the margins so close in that section of the table, they have to continue getting a string of victories while the opposition continues to drop points.
With more games coming up tomorrow, we can only hope the Gunners build some momentum and take it from there.
Sayonara
Follow Gooner Daily on Twitter @goonerdaily. I’ll follow back
Visit Gooner Daily’s Facebook page.
Click on the “Follow button” to join Gooner Daily’s Mailing List
