Premier League action today as we travel to face Burnley at Turf Moor.
The form of both team is fairly contrasting. The home side have won just 2 of the their last 17 games in all competitions; Arsenal have only failed to win 2 of their last 17, with 15 wins, and a run of 7 consecutive Premier League victories coming into this one.
However, when it comes to this stage of the season form is not the only factor to take into consideration. Burnley are scrapping for Premier League survival and that can add a layer to any performance, so we’ve got to be mindful of the way they’re going to approach this one.
At his press conference on Thursday, Arsene Wenger suggested we’d have to be ready for a physical encounter:
You want to produce the quality of performance that is expected from us on the technical side. You have first to fight with them physically, that’s for sure. They are quite efficient at home because they have made 18 of their 26 points at home and therefore we have to make sure we produce the expected performance on the commitment, on the focus and on the quality of our game.
They’ve had some results at home recently that will provide them with some confidence, holding Sp*rs to a draw and, of course, beating Man City (although that seems to be something almost anyone is capable of these days). So, they’ll be looking to replicate those performances in terms of intensity and outcome, something we’ve got to be ready for.
For me, the biggest danger from our point of view is complacency. We’re on such a good run, and playing so well, that if we think for even a second that this is a game that we just have to turn up to win, we’ll get punished. It’s a subconscious thing more than anything, because obviously this will be part of the preparation, and there are enough senior players in this squad who know you have to be 100% focused regardless of the opposition. Yet it’s something that has happened before, it’ll happen again, but we’ve got to make sure it’s not today.
In terms of the team it’s hard to see how any changes might be necessary from the one that performed so well against Liverpool. Although the boss has got Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby to choose from, unless somebody else in midfield is suffering a bit, I don’t see them making the starting XI and there’s surely no way all three can make the squad. Mathieu Debuchy might come in for Hector Bellerin, and if Laurent Koscielny’s groin is in any way dodgy then Gabriel will start alongside Per Mertesacker.
There’s not much else to say about it other than you want us to pick up where we left off against Liverpool. That kind of performance would go a very long way to making it 8 wins in a row in the league, and with at least one of the Manchester clubs set to drop points in tomorrow’s derby, it would go some way to help secure a second place finish in the league this season.
It’s a late kick off, 5.30, so we have all day to wait around for it, but this is a game we ought to take the maximum from. We have the talent and the momentum to do it, so let’s make sure we get these points on the board.
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Some extra reading for this morning. The manager is interesting on the subject of squad building, with perhaps some hint of the age bracket he might be looking at for any summer purchases – as well as a fine breakdown of the current squad in terms of its age profile by Andrew Allen.
He also touches on the ludicrous concept of post-season tours. While everyone accepts that pre-season is now fully commercialised – getting players fit is only part of it in the modern era – the idea that you might take players at the end of a long campaign is, frankly, stupid. He says:
A post-season tour is a nightmare. In pre-season, you have the players under pressure with the focus of starting the season well. A post-season tour, I always feel people come along to watch but the players are half on their holidays. From a purely football point of view, there is not much meaning – let’s be honest.
Of course if there’s money to be made there’ll always be pressure to take part in something like this, but I hope that it’s not something Arsenal ever get involved in.
Finally, if you haven’t had a chance to listen to this week’s Arsecast, you can find it right here. It’ll help take up some of the day as we wait for this evening’s kick off. Not to mention it’s a splendid piece of aural craftsmanship in its own right.
We will, as always, have full live blog coverage of the game for you. Check back later for a post with all the details or bookmark our default live blog page and updates will begin automatically.
Right, catch you later for the game, in the meantime have a good day.
