Two things Arteta got wrong and one he got right as Arsenal are held by Burnley
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Arsenal's hopes of sealing a European place for next season were dealt a blow, as they were held 1-1 by Burnley.
The Gunners got off to the perfect start at Turf Moor, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continuing his resurgence in front of goal with a smart finish down low past Nick Pope.
It set the tone for a relatively comfortable opening 45 for Mikel Arteta's men, but that was all undone with a bizarre moment that is sure to grace lowlight reels for years to come.
Bernd Leno opted to pass the ball short to Granit Xhaka, who instead of clearing, could only find the chest of Clarets striker Chris Wood with the rebound trickling into the empty net.
The Arsenal keeper made two excellent stops to keep his side level and they looked as if they could be the platform for a victory when his side were awarded a late penalty.
Andre Marriner pointed to the spot when Nicolas Pepe's goalbound effort appeared to be deflected onto the crossbar via Erik Pieters' arm. The Burnley defender was shown a red card for his part, only for both to be overturned when VAR adjudged it to have hit his shoulder.
And then in the final seconds Dani Ceballos looked to have nicked all three points, only to see hit shot fire back off the post.
It's a result that leaves Arsenal's hopes of top-six finish hanging by a thread, sitting seven points behind West Ham having played two games more.
Here's two things Arteta may be ruing, and one decision that continues to reap some reward.
A partner for Partey…
The return of Thomas Partey was long awaited and his impact on the Arsenal team was crystal clear to see against Sean Dyche’s physical side.
The midfielder brings a real element of composure and grace to the Gunners midfield and with every performance it is clear to see just why Arteta made such a push to sign him.
Alongside him however, it was of course, Xhaka’s gaff that gifted the hosts a way back into the game.
But beyond that, he failed to influence the game in anything like the manner of his partner.
Partey’s best performance for the Gunners came in the win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Mohamed Elneny was the man with him on that occasion and that could be an option that Arteta looks at before too long.
Finding a place for Pepe…
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It’s becoming increasingly apparent that Arteta needs to find a place for Nicolas Pepe within his starting XI.
Working out exactly where that place actually is, is something a lot more difficult.
After his introduction with 20 minutes to go, the club’s record signing was involved in almost everything that Arsenal did in an attacking sense.
He really should have scored when the ball was squared back to him, but regardless he gave them a much greater attacking thrust.
Martin Odegaard’s impact meanwhile, is much more minimal at this point. The Real Madrid loanee was on the peripheries for much of the game and it was no surprise to see him taken off on the hour mark.
Arteta finding a formation that fits all of his attacking talents within it, could prove vital.
Keeping Willian in the starting XI…
Just ten days ago, Willian’s Arsenal career looked to be hanging by a thread. Out of form and seemingly out of Arteta’s plans.
Fast-forward a week-and-a-half and he is playing his best football in a Gunners shirt.
His early assist for Aubameyang was his third in as many games, as he finally looks set to kickstart his stay in north London.
Arsenal legend Martin Keown claimed Willian is finally beginning to play with ‘a purpose’ and it’s clear to see his game is in a very different place to where it was last month.
While he failed to build upon the early assist, it’s clear to see that he can still have an impact on Arsenal’s season.
- Premier League
- Arsenal FC
- Burnley FC
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