Arsenal need to show strength to break top four
The Premier League has already seen two top-six fixtures in as many weeks. Now Arsenal are headed for what could amount to double trouble over the next couple of weekend fixtures with Liverpool and Tottenham coming in quick succession.
It’s been a promising start to this season’s campaign with a 100% record maintained and six points already safely on the board.
The opener against Newcastle proved to be a frustrating affair in the north-east with new manager and no-nonsense Geordie Steve Bruce packing his midfield fivefold to frustrate the Gunners’ attack. A solitary breakthrough in the second half was to make the difference for Arsenal.
The first home game of the season against Burnley was a much more open affair, with both sides pushing forward, giving a glimpse of what’s on offer, and more importantly, what’s to be done to achieve the team’s goals.
But what did we learn from Burnley moving forward into two of the toughest games on the fixture list this season.
Light at the back
It was absolutely imperative that Arsenal strengthened at the back during preseason. Form tailed off last season with the Gunners losing four out of five matches during April, ultimately costing the club a highly coveted Champions League spot.
At the back Emery and co. have so far brought in William Saliba from Saint-Etienne, Kieran Tierney from Celtic, and a last minute punt for Chelsea’s David Luiz. Unfortunately, the highly-rated Saliba will stay in France this season, a necessary evil to finalise the deal in order to ward off other potential suitors.
On top of that 22-year-old Kieran Tierney who made over a century of appearances for Celtic will take time and much needed minutes to bed in.
So who is left? Well, David Luiz who has already been firmly thrust into the centre of defence, appearing alongside Sokratis on Saturday afternoon.
To put it lightly, Arsenal looked vulnerable at the back against Burnley. The Clarets caused a number of problems against a disorganised and seemingly uncommunicative defence that lacked leadership. This was especially acute as Burnley drifted a number of loose balls into the box that, though they were eventually dealt with, didn’t exactly exude confidence.
It’s worrisome that if this defence struggles against the likes of Burnley, what teams with such attacking fervour such as upcoming Liverpool and Tottenham could potential do.
Star forwards are clinical to their credit
It’s not all doom and gloom. By far the Gunners’ main asset going into this season is unsurprisingly the attack, and that was proven to be the case against Burnley.
Both star forwards Lacazette and Aubameyang showed why it was so vital they were kept at the club. Both netted and both were key to forward play, especially Aubameyang on the flank.
The former Dortmund striker proved to be the main outlet as Arsenal surged forward into pockets of space in the second half. Aubameyang, who was joint-top scorer in the Premier League last season, will be particularly pivotal to Arsenal’s attack against tougher teams who will be harder to break down such as Liverpool and Spurs.
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New acquisition and £72 million man Pépé was – as expected – was not as influential on the opposite flank, but did show glimpses of why Emery has elected to break the club’s transfer record.
The Frenchman will provide a vital counterpoint to Lacazette and Aubameyang in order to pick the lock against top teams’ defensive lines. The only question is whether he can do that so early on in his Arsenal career.
However, it was to be new loanee Dani Ceballos who earned a man of the match performance on his debut at the Emirates. The Spaniard was key to finding space and providing outlets for his fellow attackers.
Fixtures favour the Gunners
With the Premier League barely underway, it has to be said that meeting two key top-six rivals so early on in the season is entirely beneficial to Arsenal.
Liverpool provide the toughest prospect and are already finding the form that brought them within a point of landing a Premier League and European Cup double.
Tottenham, most recently earning a point courtesy of a late VAR decision against champions Manchester City, look impressive going forward but still endure moments of shakiness that blighted their domestic campaign last season.
Having said that, no team at this early stage of the season has bedded in completely and Arsenal, who have clear weaknesses of their own, can ultimately use that to their advantage.
A show of strength
The Gunners will need their attacking line to perform well and gel quickly. But in order to escape the next two fixtures with anything in their basket, they need to show strength across the pitch.
Despite having all six points on the board and dominating possession, the worrying stat for Arsenal fans is that in both matches against Newcastle and Burnley, they allowed their opponents to register more chances on goal.
This sort of folly will not go unpunished against more attacking-minded sides and it’s imperative that Emery get his defensive and midfield men to tighten up and to do it quickly.
Adam Grimshaw
@adamgeorgie
