Burnley- Arsenal Match Preview and Line-up
After a much-needed win against our arch-rivals at the weekend, reducing the gap to just one point, and them dropping two points this afternoon against managerless West Brom, the Gunners have a fantastic opportunity to move above the Spuddies and show them the Arse(nal). This will not be easy as the latter can also be said about our opponents, the beautifully named ‘The Clarets’; they are level with us on points and a win will move them up two or three places in the league in to the dizzying heights of the TOP four/five. A Pool draw or loss against the Chavs means that Arsenal can also leapfrog the North-West team and/or get much closer to our other London Top-four rivals.
In a nutshell, tomorrow’s game is a really BIG one. I don’t think Wenger will make changes to the team against the Spuddies; why would he?
So here is the line-up:
Arsenal have a great record against Burnley in general and have won the last six games in a row. But this means nothing tomorrow. The Clarets will be well up for this and have nothing to lose. With Sean Dyche Burnley have one of the nicest managers in the league and nobody has a better voice than him 🙂 . Dyche is clearly very talented, keeping Burnley in the league AND improving his team significantly so they could get so close to the top four this season. Nothing but respect for him and the club from me.
We need to start strong and play with focus, passion and energy for 90 plus minutes. A win would really (re)kick-start the season for us. Except for Cazorla everybody is fit, which is great news in late November and many games to come in quick succession.
But Burnley are up next and it is all about OGAAT!
Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners!!
TA
Bergkampesque 
I don’t see why Wenger will need to change the team that beat the Spuddies, either. Unless it is thought that Ozil may be targeted for some roughing up and we find a need to save him for midweek game vs Huddersfield. Not likely, I know. Also, there’s the fact that we play 3 games in 6 days, so some rotation is anticipated (likely in the game in midweek).
We will need to focus on the job and not allow the occasion (potential for upward movement on the table) affect us. I think the back 3 will be very important and so will Cech be, as a calming effect. Xhaka will have a bit more freedom to make his raking passes and over-the-top balls and so he should because Burnley like to play with 9 men behind the ball (when out of possession). The boys just have to be up for it tomorrow. We’ve got to keep the momentum going.
I do hope the game at Anfield ends in a draw. That result suddenly puts things in our favour as we can leap frog both Spurs and Liverpool.
Had to step out a bit at half time (in the Pool-Chavs game) and there’s no DVR so I’m not sure how Pool got their goal… Cesc is now in to do some quarterbacking and the Ox still persists in the 80th min… A draw would be nice but I can’t really worry about it…
Instead, I will worry about trying to beat Burnley at their place, something that is never easy. Breaking down a team like this is all about coordinated off-the-ball movement and, trying to get it going up and down the pitch. We’re not going to get there by hoofing and hoping. That said, taking too many chances in our own half and gifting them an early goal will only make things tougher…
Yeah, I think the same group gets to go again with a bit of rotation probably to be seen in midweek when Huddersfield comes to our town… Nobody did much at Koln to suggest that they should break themselves into the first 11. Welbeck on a futile but good running 45 probably did as much as (no-show) Theo to justify possible inclusion or at least some time off the bench. My bet is that Theo’s illness clears up by midweek, while DW might have sufficient match fitness to start that one…
Chavs pull one back on a perfectly (mis)placed Willian cross…
OK, finishes 1-1… Pretty good Saturday for the Arsenal, only spoiled by a Brighton own goal up at the Old Toilet…
Oh, I meant to mention… Cheers TA for the match preview… It seems to me that you could’ve made it shorter, but, between the windows and the stones, I shouldn’t complain… 😉 In the end, with the previews, what more can you say except all games are tough but we need to win them…which is always a good deal tougher when you come up against a group who plays together as a (real) team. As such, beware the Clarets… Thanks again…
Highlights show the Ox did well to poke a ball on to Salah and notch an assist… How’d we let him get away?!?!? He’s already done more in all red than he ever did with the white sleeves… Wenger (Gazidis? Kroenke?) OUT!!!!!!
Now that I’m the master of copy and paste I’m gonna shout it to the rafters… Off to post it on my Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc., etc., etc…
😀 ( 😦 )
!7HT what did the Ox do to upset you so much???
TA spot on with your team.Tactics to me are pretty straightforward. Play like we did versus Spurs we win. Play like we did against Watford (amongst others We don’t).
Shame. I didn’t know it was OG against BHA.
A variation on the usual “get one early — park the bus trick” by Jose’s minions.
The ‘Pool goal was by Salah– his work rate today was off the charts.
Many traits as Alexis. Bit faster perhaps, with better control?
Though– Bakayoyo, like Alli today was below par IMO.
His hesitance in clearing or controlling the ball outside the 18yd box after an errant through ball– allowed Ox to toe-poke it away setting up Salah’s shot for goal from 8yds in the 65th.
Chelsea looked stunted until the 75th when Conte brought on Cesc and Pedro.
Their offense opened right up. Then Willian came on at the 82nd– and there was high pressure on the Reds. 88th– Willian crosses to either Hazard or Alonso at the far post so perfectly– it clears Mignolet’s glove and into the top-left for the equalizer.
Another perfect 1-1 for the Gunners.
========
Still eating great leftovers as we type 17HT!
jw1
I hope this isn’t too obvious, retsub…
He left Arsenal…
🙂
(A few more well-weighted touches after moving into good positions while he was with us would have been appreciated as well… In truth, I wish him all the best at his new club…)
Leftovers are long gone, JW… but that’s the cost of letting somebody else host (and only taking home the package that they give you)… Not bad, however, and we scored a sizable piece of pecan pie (from a fine local bake-shop)… That was the last of it but it served as a good breakfast this morning…
Time now to get my running shoes on and try to move enough so that I can see them… you know, past my bulging belly…
I thought Brighton deserved something from OT, on the balance of play. They troubled United no end and kept them at bay for long periods, while they got some opportunities to trouble De Gea. A very cruel way to concede; first, a questionable corner kick was called. The corner was taken to the near post, headed clear, only for it to land at the feet of Young at the edge of the box. His hurried volley (looked like going wide) was deflected off a Brighton defender and looped over the keeper. Lucky United. Very drab again.
As for the Anfield encounter, happy it ended in a draw. Now, we have to be calm and go to Burnley positive. Lee Mason (why did the PGMOL pick a Ref who stays in Lancashire when we play a team based in Lancashire?) is the ref and that is something to watch because he tends to break up the flow of moves, which may not be to our advantage. However, nothing beats some early goals to put paid to any concerns. I thought Ox played well; it looked like Klopp has included a couple of players who have something to prove to Chelsea in Salah, Sturridge and for a different reason, Ox. It worked when Ox and Salah combined for their goal.
On to Sunday.
TBH– Ox experienced a rather harsh start at Anfield.
(He’s become somewhat of an internet meme.)
He scored once in a 4-1 thrashing of WHU– and assisted today.
Granted that already doubles his previous per-season output for goals at AFC– and puts him within .5 assists of same.
I’m thrilled the club got £40M. That was a coup.
jw1
Today is a classic banana skin fixture for Arsenal, it’s what we do, play like champion contenders one week, get everyone excited and then play like a bunch of idiots the next week.
But these are the games, away from fluffy, cosy, London in some nondescript northern football outpost where your team shows its true mettle, it’s on the road where you see your teams championship credentials and it’s where you never know what Arsenal team in recent times will turn up?
And so, to Burnley in Lancashire, a picturesque stadium in a town surrounded by rolling hills, an old mill town from back in the times when Lancashire was the cotton king of the world, where professional football in England was born, that’s where Arsene takes his schizophrenic team.
On paper it should be a difficult but do’able 2-0 win for the Gunners, but Burnley are having a great season and if our players start getting a bit sniffy about playing at their small ground, you know strolling around as if they’re thinking ‘I’m too good for this’, then we could get turned over.
So I’m going for a draw.
Beautiful comment, Kev, worthy of inclusion in the post.
Nice take on the game at Burnley, Kev. I think we would be too focused on this to have any other result but a decisive win. We would have a bit too much for Burnley.
Thanks Total,
Hi Eris
I’m hearing Iwobi in for Ozil…
Yep. Same team that played Spurs, except for Ozil (Iwobi on for him), who may have picked up a knock as he isn’t even on the bench.
Burnley: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Gudmundsson, Cork, Hendrick, Defour, Brady; Barnes
Subs: Wood, Vokes, Westwood, Long, Arfield, Bardsley, Lindegaard
Arsenal: Cech; Kościelny, Mustafi, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Iwobi, Sanchez; Lacazette
Subs: Ospina, Mertesacker, Coquelin, Wilshere, Maitland-Niles, Welbeck, Giroud
Hope it is one of Wenger’s diplomatic injuries to take him out of the way in a difficult place. The correct decision, in my opinion since this game will be a fight for the 3 points. Hopefully, Jack and Welbeck (Coq, maybe) get a chance late on, when the game is safe.
Let’s just do this, lads!
Wood and Vokes on the bench for the Clarets, my oh my, full parked bus mode it seems.
Ok, I’m off to work in a minute, enjoy the game guys.
Hearing/reading it is illness that’s kept Ozil out. Well, get well quick then.
I took a look at the fixtures this weekend . Southampton v Everton @1.30 and Burnley v Arsenal 2 pm. Not for one second did I even consider that our game would not be on T V. But Lo and behold we are not. Grrrrrrrr
Hi guys, early kick-off again here in California but I’m gonna try and do my thing with a live-blog… Coffee first, of course… 🙂
Back soon… 🙂
Testing, testing… Gotta put on my TA hat here for a moment…
retsub–
That’s what’s really weird here. The SOU vs EVE game isn’t listed as a ‘game’ in my channel guide– but as ‘Premier League Pregame’– with BUR vs ARS set to begin (and record) at 8am my time (2pm yours). Never seen CNBC (NBC’s 3rd-string channel) start a portion of a game like this.
And Kev– that was great foreshadowing!
Love a good story to start like that.
jw1
Just saw where Leroy Sane was named PoTH in the PL.
Pretty sure Alexis doesn’t want to go to City in January to sit.
Does Wenger have a crystal ball?
jw1
*PoTMonth
Got the players in the tunnel on my telly right now.
jw1
The task is to breach their clean sheet record early, then go on to pick them off as they open up, and suffocate them for the 3 points. COYG!
SOU vs EVE to continue online.
jw1
OK, the live-blog is up… Meet me over there…
NEW POST
Link not showing up for the new post
jw1
Jw1 we have a choice here in the Uk, Sky or BT. Sky is showing the Saints game. So I assumed it would be on BT.. Without wishing to upset anyone, is anyone really interested in the Scottish ladies cup final?