Can Arsenal make light work of Burnley’s visit of the Emirates this weekend? by SE
Matchweek 10 of the 2014/15 Barclays Premier League season for Arsenal sees Arsene Wenger’s wizards play host to this season’s punch bags, Burnley. The Gunners endured a tough time of it last weekend at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland, another tottering Premier League side, but managed to come away with a clean sheet and all three points. Going into this home game against Sean Dyche’s men, Arsenal should be quietly confident of breaking down Burnley without breaking a lot of sweat. In truth, can Arsenal breeze past the Clarets without putting a whole lot of effort into it?
What have Burnley done this season?
Burnley have failed to rise up to the rigors of the Premier League, as Dyche’s side still play the brand of football that got them promoted to the English top flight. I mean there’s no harm in playing direct, and testing out your opponents in the box but Burnley have largely been one-dimensional and lacked in quality and options. A tally of just 5 (having conceded 16) goals scored over the length of 810 minutes of Premier League is a classic indicator of Burnley’s pivotal problems this season. They did, however, play outstandingly well at home against Manchester United, which was an inexplicably open game, with both sides going hammer and tongs at each other’s goal, and showed that they can ruffle their opponents when they discover their rhythm and haveA one of their better days.
Will the Clarets pose problems for Arsenal?
Arsenal, even if they only play to half of their true potential, should have a stroll in the park and still come away with all 3 points. Theo Walcott’s return to action would be something to look forward to for Arsenal fans and Wenger, who would need no mentioning that they got to make the most of these winnable games coming up before the international break, and make up for lost ground early on. Staying with Walcott; the Englishman, in my opinion, should start for the North Londoners, instead of coming on as a substitute when he might have game pressure to contend with. Alexis Sanchez — Arsenal’s best player this season — deserves to be given a break after working as hard as the Chilean has, and Wenger needs to start utilizing the likes of Joel Campbell and Tomas Rosicky if Arsenal, in spite of the long injury list, are to remain in the fight for the Premier League title. Also we will need some fresh players for the visit of Anderlecht on Tuesday.
Final Thought
Burnley will come to the Emirates, and have no pressure of expectations or having to win against a top Premier League outfit like Arsenal. Interestingly, that could work in favor of Dyche’s side, and the Gunners need to refrain from getting complacent at the sight of such lowly opponents. Otherwise, this should be bread-and-butter for Arsenal, as they look to kick on after a patchy start to their campaign.
Score Predication: Arsenal 2:0 Burnley