'We are two more 1-0s away from heaven'
It would be an oversimplification to say that Arsenal struggled over the line on Monday night. It was a narrow victory, but Burnley created 0. 23 xG and were limited to zero shots on target.
It wasn't as if Mikel Arteta kept the much-maligned handbrake on with his line-up.
[BBC] [Getty Images] It would be an oversimplification to say that Arsenal struggled over the line on Monday night. It was a narrow victory, but Burnley created 0. 23 xG and were limited to zero shots on target.
It wasn't as if Mikel Arteta kept the much-maligned handbrake on with his line-up. Starting with both Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard in midfield against a backdrop of Riccardo Calafiori, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz were choices that prioritised on-ball dynamism. A team like that effectively says, you guys go forward, Declan Rice (with a little help from William Saliba and Gabriel) will take care of the rest.
And in the first half they did. Arsenal fulfilled pretty much all that was asked of them, apart from putting the ball in the net as frequently as we might have liked. Had Trossard's near-post drive after escaping the never-beaten Kyle Walker been centimetres to the right, Arsenal might've taken an earlier lead and done more damage.