Share the article
Save the article
LONDON. Offensive abilities that deliver, defenders that step up at the right times.
Arsenal’s injury list is what it is – but so far it’s going pretty well.
Dudududu – Crucifixion!
Burnley barely had time to rally from their unexpected equalizer before the Frenchman pounced and headed home 2-1 at The Emirates, the first real cheer from the home crowd on this crisp autumn day.
Especially since the first goalscorer of the day, Leandro Trossard, thumped straight into the post after his goal and needed medical attention.
It’s been a little over a year since William Saliba introduced himself to the Premier League in earnest, a start which saw that Tequila song being sung by the supporters on a weekly basis.
The centre-back continues to take steps in his development and if possible feels even more stately now, even if Burnley is not exactly the league’s strongest value gauge.
The London club eventually defeated Vincent Kompany’s beleaguered side 3–1, despite a red card for substitute Fabio Vieira with just over ten minutes left to play.
The away team stubbornly stayed in the game via a superb defensive wall, but once it started to crack there was no turning back.
Only one team has started a Premier League season worse than Burnley (ten defeats in twelve games). Kompany and his assistant coach Craig Bellamy could definitely use a break.
full screenArsenal cheers against Burnley. Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Other than Ödegaard
The breathing space that awaits is also much needed for Arsenal, not least because of the injuries to a couple of Mikel Arteta’s absolute key players.
We are in a critical period of the season, where the tight game schedule and intense battles risk taking their toll physically.
Tottenham are already suffering from the absence of James Maddison as well as centre-back Micky van de Ven (it didn’t help that Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were suspended in the defeat at Wolves).
The person whose absence affects Mikel Arteta’s system the most is probably Martin Ödegaard, as the balance in midfield will be completely different without the Norwegian’s creativity.
Tearing her hair out but…
It doesn’t surprise me if many supporters tear their hair out every time Jorginho’s name comes up in the starting XI. The 31-year-old can easily appear as a brake block, someone who mostly delivers the ball sideways.
But it is possible to see why Arteta values him highly, for example during Saturday’s meeting.
Sure, Jorginho didn’t hit a single pass like the one against Sevilla earlier this week (unbelievable quality!), but he is the manager’s extended arm in terms of clearly organizing his teammates on the pitch, which also explains why he wears the captain’s armband.
The last thing that happened in the match was that Jorginho stepped off with blood pouring from the back of his head.
Then the DJ played the Tequila song – Saliba! – followed by “Always believe in your soul”, as a tribute to Oleksandr Zintjenko who also scored on a set piece.
With players like Trossard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, Arteta does not suffer offensively. It is in midfield that the real challenge lies, a situation that is exacerbated by Vieira’s expulsion along with injuries to Ödegaard, Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe.
In any case, the coach can count himself lucky that there are still whole defenders, who also step forward when things are going well.
2023-11-13 00:43:51
#Fagerlund #Arteta #count #lucky
