Arsenal were looking to end their poor run of form in the Premier League as they hosted a similarly out of form Burnley this past weekend. Mikel Arteta’s side had not won a game in the league since their 0-1 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United, back at the beginning of November. This was also while they hadnt won a home game in the Premier League since 4th Oct a 2-1 win against bottom of the table Sheffield United suffering five defeats, one draw and one win in that time since.
Prior to this game, Sean Dyche’s side had managed only one win in the league, suffering a run of results similar to the Gunners, three draws and six defeats. Burnley managed to meet their xG of 1.0 in this game, winning 1-0, although not by their own hands. Arsenal captain and frontman Pierre Emerick Aubameyang headed into his own net on 73 minutes from a Burnley set-piece to deliver Burnley the games only goal. The away side took away all three points as Arsenal’s wait for a goal let alone a win in the Premier League goes on.
The tactical analysis below looks at the most prominent aspects of both teams style of play. Our analysis highlights the key tactics and talking points, as well as assessing how both managers set their side up to get success.
Line-ups
Arsenal: 4-2-3-1
There was only one change to the side that lost 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspurs the previous week. Mohammad Elneny made up one half of a double pivot beside Granit Xhaka while injured Thomas Partey returned to the physio’s table. Goalkeeper Bernd Leno kept his place in goal while the back four of Kieran Tierney, Gabriel, Rob Holding, and Héctor Bellerín were tasked with protecting their man between the posts. Alexandre Lacazette once again was tried as playmaker between the lines, supporting Pierre Emerick Aubameyang as the focal point of the attack along with Willian and Bukayo Saka who started out wide.
Burnley: 4-4-2
Dyche opted for the same XI that drew 1-1 against Everton the previous week. Chris Wood and Jay Rodriguez lead the line as a centre-forward pairing. Ashley Westwood and Josh Brownhill supported from behind as central midfielders while Dwight McNeil and Robbie Brady operated on the flanks. Full-backs Matthew Lowton and Charlie Taylor provided support in attack as centre-backs Ben Mee and James Tarkowski protected Nick Pope in goal.
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