Premier League: Can Burnley Threaten Gunners’ Good Start

Arsenal vs Burnley

A small corner of the Emirates will turn Claret and Blue on Saturday when Burnley heads to the capital to take on Arsenal.

Gunners head coach Unai Emery hopes to make more progress in his second year as a Premier League boss. Some good signs were there last year, but defensive failings meant missing out on a top four place and losing the Europa League final to Chelsea.

Sean Dyche’s Burnley had a torrid first half of last season, suffering fixture congestion in the club’s Europa League foray with a small squad. But they recovered to fight another day in the top flight.

At first glance this might look like an attack versus defence contest, but look a little deeper and there may be a surprise or two in store.

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Premier League

Talking Points

Does Arsenal finally have a defence?

After a decade of playing the nearest thing the Premier League has seen to Total Football, the last decade has witnessed a total mess in Arsenal’s rearguard, and that has seen the North London club drift further and further from the league summit. Unai Emery arrived on the scene to tighten up the defence, but last season failed to do so. He wasn’t helped by injury to the Gunners’ best defender in recent years, Laurent Koscielny, but the colleagues he left behind were less custodians of the defence and more Keystone Cops.

Shkodran Mustafi always has a mistake in him, and what last season’s new arrival Sokratis lacks in silky skills he makes up in intimidation and aggression, but he all too often looks like a ticking time bomb.

Premier League News: David Luiz moves to Arsenal — David Luiz during his first match for Arsenal

So the transfer of David Luiz from rivals Chelsea was great news indeed for the Emirates faithful. It was one of the surprise moves of deadline day, and one which left some of the Stamford Bridge staff in tears. Emery will hope he has pulled off a masterstroke here.

Meanwhile, Nicolas Pepe is Arsenal’s record transfer, and as the fans look further up the field there is even more reason to be cheerful. Gabon star Pierre- Emerick Aubamayang made the big Premier League news, scoring 31 last season, and he is ably supported by the excellent Alexandre Lacazette. But these two can’t score enough goals on their own and Emery will be looking to the likes of Pepe to lighten the load.

An opening day win over Newcastle may have the Gunners dreaming of a top-four place again this season.

Burnley’s Bite

Former Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger once said that Burnley is a team which sits and waits, and then strikes like a snake. In its four seasons tenure at the top flight, the East Lancashire mill town club has certainly struck down plenty of illustrious victims, learning to be patient, defending with passion and taking the chances when they come.

The recently returned Jay Rodriguez could become a fans favourite once again but he may have to bide his time for a while. Strike partnership Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood are in fine early season form, Wood scoring a hatful in pre-season, while his partner bagged a brace in Burnley’s opening day 3-0 destruction of Southampton. Barnes is a real handful and is the epitome of all the Clarets stand for. A £450k signing from Brighton five years ago he is beloved at Burnley for his all-action and ebullient style. Defenders hate to play against him and he is aiming to hit double figures for s third successive season.

In fact, both Barnes and Wood scored 13 last season as the most threatening front pair outside the top six.

The two strikers get plenty of support. New signing Erik Pieters provided two assists for Barnes against the Saints, while teenage winger Dwight McNeil, who burst onto the scene last Christmas, is one of the most exciting talents in the Premier League, already attracting the attention of Serie A kings, Juventus.

Dyche knows how important his defensive unit is, and it looked at its best again in the opener, with keeper Nick Pope looking assured behind the defensive pairing of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski.

The pre-season Premier League betting odds invariably pitch the Clarets as strugglers; and they are invariably wrong!

History

The head to head results should give the Gunners plenty of confidence, having won 12 of the 14 meetings over the last 11 years while the Clarets have managed a solitary victory.

Last season both games ended in a 3-1 win for Emery’s men.

Recent form favours the visitors though. Arsenal have won three of the last six while Burnley is unbeaten in six, winning five after an impressive pre-season, and looking for a fourth successive victory.