BURNLEY, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 02: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal gestures during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Arsenal FC at Turf Moor on February 02, 2020 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Arsenal vs Burnley: 5 things learned in gross affair
by Josh Sippie
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
4. Mikel Arteta is learning
More than anything else, the rest of the season is a learning experience for a promising footballing mind who has no managerial experience. That’s what we’re here for. We’re here to let him grow into the role. We can’t start going off the deep end just because the results aren’t turning around right away. And to be fair, this was a really, really tough match. A nil-nil draw is far from the worst thing in the world.
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That said, you also have to know that Arteta is learning from these kinds of encounters. He’d have seen that playing from the back doesn’t always work. He’d have seen that the attack struggled with cohesion. He’s have seen a lot of things, and these are the lessons he will be condensing to form the future of the club.
I won’t hold it against him that I have questions about his tactics on the day. I won’t hold it against him that I have questions about his personnel choices on the day. He is working with the hand that was dealt to him and trying to make the most of it.
Next up, sorry that I have to do this at No. 3.
Arsenal knew what was ahead of them going into Turf Moor. If they won the match, they would jump up just one point behind Tottenham, depending on the result the Spurs had against Manchester City.</p>
<p>It still provided for the opportunity to leap frog three teams that the Gunners should be ahead of. It also would have put them right into contention for the top four again, with how hot and cold Chelsea have been lately.</p>
<p>Mikel Arteta changed things up. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/57e3f0c7/Nicolas-Pepe?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Nicolas Pepe</a> and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/52611641/Lucas-Torreira?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Lucas Torreira</a> moved to the bench in favor of Gabriel Martinelli and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/5ea8ef20/Matteo-Guendouzi?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Matteo Guendouzi</a>. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/d5dd5f1f/Pierre-Emerick-Aubameyang?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang</a> returned, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/16380240/Mesut-Ozil?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Mesut Ozil</a> and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/9dbb75ca/Alexandre-Lacazette?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Alexandre Lacazette</a> return their spots and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/3f2d59fe/Shkodran-Mustafi?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Shkodran Mustafi</a> kept his spot as well, despite Sokratis’ return.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="Arsenal vs Burnley Player Ratings" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-vs-burnley-player-ratings-4/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-vs-burnley-player-ratings-4/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> Arsenal vs Burnley Player Ratings </a> </div>
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<p>Certainly some head scratchers, but Arteta claimed to be playing the team for this specific match. You may have found yourself still scratching your head after a gag-worthy first half that was lucky to finish scoreless. Awful missed chances from Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a frantic attempt to maintain presence in the midfield left the Gunners scrambling the later into the first half we went. Changes were needed at half.</p>
<p>Those changes didn’t exactly come. It looked like much more of the same. And so, let’s skip right on to the part where we learn lessons. We start with lesson No. 5.</p>
<h3>5. Bernd Leno is helping us forget stress</h3>
<p>For so long, Arsenal fans had to stress about what was going on at keeper. We were wondering what keepers we could nab in the transfer window. We were wondering who the future of the position was. And we never had an answer.</p>
<p>To make matters worse, when we did have talented players—<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/01b8a2b2/Wojciech-Szczesny?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Wojciech Szczesny</a>, for instance—we didn’t manage them properly and they went on to become elite keepers elsewhere.</p>
<p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/2628fd2b/Bernd-Leno?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Bernd Leno</a> has completely changed the outlook of this defense. And I’m not even talking about the Burnley match in particular, it was just during Burnley that it hit me yet again—I no longer worry about our keeper making mistakes. I worry about our defense making mistakes, and our keeper having to deal with it, but I actually have faith in that. I have so much faith in Bernd Leno that I often take it for granted.</p>
<p>It feels good to not have to worry about something on the pitch, because we worry about so many other things.</p>
<p>On to No. 4.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 4. Learning, learning, learning </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-98336" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1126,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1203553963.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Mikel Arteta" width="1600" height="1126" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1203553963.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1203553963-768x540.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>4. Mikel Arteta is learning</h3>
<p>More than anything else, the rest of the season is a learning experience for a promising footballing mind who has no managerial experience. That’s what we’re here for. We’re here to let him grow into the role. We can’t start going off the deep end just because the results aren’t turning around right away. And to be fair, this was a really, <em>really</em> tough match. A nil-nil draw is far from the worst thing in the world.</p>
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<p>That said, you also have to know that Arteta is learning from these kinds of encounters. He’d have seen that playing from the back doesn’t always work. He’d have seen that the attack struggled with cohesion. He’s have seen a lot of things, and these are the lessons he will be condensing to form the future of the club.</p>
<p>I won’t hold it against him that I have questions about his tactics on the day. I won’t hold it against him that I have questions about his personnel choices on the day. He is working with the hand that was dealt to him and trying to make the most of it.</p>
<p>Next up, sorry that I have to do this at No. 3.</p>
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<h3>3. Really, no Nicolas Pepe?</h3>
<p>This was a really, really big deal for me. Leaving him out of the starting XI was worth a casual shrug. It’s been done before. Not like we couldn’t get on without him and bring him on later if inspiration was needed.</p>
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<p>But when inspiration <em>was</em> needed, and desperately, Pepe’s number was never called. Lucas Torreira came on first for an injured <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/bc7dc64d/Bukayo-Saka?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Bukayo Saka</a>, then <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/a3b03921/Joe-Willock?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Joe Willock</a> on for Mesut Ozil, and lastly <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/a53649b7/Eddie-Nketiah?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Eddie Nketiah</a> on for Alexandre Lacazette.</p>
<p>I love youth. Boy do I. But Pepe is our engine of individual inspiration. When you need to make something of nothing, he’s your guy. And to see him not even considered when the match needed his enthusiasm… I just don’t know what to make of it.</p>
<p>Mostly, I’m trying not to make <em>too much</em> of it. But it’s hard to think that something isn’t going wrong behind the scenes. After all, he <em>has</em> been getting better, and he’s quietly become our second most effective goal producer. So why the cold shoulder?</p>
<p>Anyway, enough of that. Let’s move on to No. 2.</p>
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<h3>2. This midfield isn’t ready for life after Granit Xhaka</h3>
<p>This was not the kind of match that was conducive to positivity. Arsenal were completely out-muscled throughout the match and it got even worse in the second half. The big difference was that Granit Xhaka was moved out to play leftback when Bukayo Saka was unable to carry on.</p>
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<p>Xhaka had some presence in the first half. He did well in possession, he picked his passes well, and he gave us some kind of foundation to stand on.</p>
<p>That was completely lost in the second half. With Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira, we couldn’t establish a damn thing. It was so bad that Mikel Arteta brought on Joe Willock for Mesut Ozil in an attempt to help.</p>
<p>The problem stems from Guendouzi not being composed in possession. He is an incredible player, but he still gets a bit nervy when the pressure is turned up, and he did not handle it well in this one. He was loose in possession, loose in his passing, and it got much worse without Xhaka there to back him up.</p>
<p>So to anyone thinking we should ditch Xhaka, consider that without him, we are completely helpless in that midfield against teams like Burnley.</p>
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<h3>1. A hard clean sheet to keep</h3>
<p>There were times where it looked inevitable that Arsenal would surrender a goal. When <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/4ab53cdb/Jay-Rodriguez?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Jay Rodriguez</a> slammed the ball into the underside of the crossbar, you’d have thought he’d done just that, but it was correctly ruled no goal.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>All in all though, if you were to tell me that <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/02/02/arsenal-burnley-5-things-learned-2-2/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/c0e27d1a/David-Luiz?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Luiz</a> and Shkodran Mustafi (two guys who I criticized interchangeably for being too error ridden to exist in the same team, let alone the same defense) were going to be facing constant pressure, both aerially and on the ground, away from home, I would have assumed we’d concede not just one goal, but multiple.</p>
<p>We didn’t. And while they did come close, in the end it was a clean sheet, and it wasn’t an easy one to keep. Both Luiz and Mustafi handled themselves quite well amidst the chaos that usually spells their collective demises.</p>
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<p>It sucks to not take advantage of the situation and move up the table. It really does. But I’m an optimistic, damnit, and I won’t let positives slip silently by. I am proud of this defense, particularly Mustafi, who can never earn any respect. Well played to this back line.</p><!—pageview_candidate—></p>">
