Arsenal were in fine form when they faced Burnley earlier in the season, but the Clarets worked hard and kept us out until the very last minute of the game. Now, at the Emirates tomorrow, we must not let that happen again. Arsene Wenger has stated that the next four months are the ‘moment of truth’ and we now have to show strength and consistency if we are going to close that gap on Chelsea.
Our new midfielder Granit Xhaka agrees with Wenger, and says we need to take control of the game early on this time. “It was important to win the way we did at Swansea, because we know we have these two home games coming up against Burnley and Watford,” he said on Arsenal.com. “I see it the same way as the boss. I think the next three games could tell a lot about what sort of direction we’ll go in this season.
“We noticed already in the first game (at Burnley) that it was really tough at their place. We needed a late goal to win. They play direct, they’re compact defensively as well and that makes it difficult. But we’re playing at home and we need the three points.
“Against these sort of teams, it’s very important to score as early as possible and as many times as possible. That puts them under pressure, it makes them come out a bit more as well. We want to start positively, we want to force mistakes and if we do that, I’m sure we can win this game.”
It is a sensible thing to say it, but not always so easy to do, especially when that big red double-decker comes out, but if we really want to prove we can mix it with the big boys, then we need to start destroying the ‘little’ teams, especially at home, and starting with Burnley tomorrow!
It’s been a great set of results for us this weekend,now we have to take advantage and move up to second place…
Onwards and Upwards!
Admin
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We must do that against every team we come up against. Plus defend as a team…From here on out.
Yes. We can be 3 points behind Chelsea by the time we’ll visit them.
It can happen. Don’t underrate Hull.
We should not underrate Burnley too.
Giroud’s a good option for this type of game. Xhaka needs to send better balls toward him though. Alexis Giroud Iwobi and Ozil should be able to mix it up, making us less predictable harder to read.
Let’s be honest, we are always going to be a bit predictable with Giroud in the center. He is not versatile enough to be unpredictable. He is our target man hold up the ball and trying to get his head on crosses. Hard to make that unpredictable.
Personally I would prefer to start with pace and bring Giroud on with 30 minutes to go when the defenders are tired.
Ozil
Perez-Sanchez-Iwobi