Arsenal: 5 talking points from narrow 1-0 Burnley win

5. Arteta’s 4-3-3 formation worked……sort of

When the team news broke, many Arsenal fans were giddy with excitement. Finally, Arteta has his full-strength team and we were going to see what this “project” was really about.

Arsenal started brightly but when trying to play out from the back, Partey was nullified with ease, and this caused some problems going forward. It is a clear work in progress but there were some good signs.

Emile Smith Rowe, Martin Odegaard, and Partey as a midfield three worked reasonably well with Partey being the sole anchor in midfield, Burnely got forward and played around Arsenal easily enough.

Against the bigger teams, this kind of formation will not be utilused yet as there will be a need for a double pivot to help protect the back four. If Burnley get can through as they did, then what can Liverpool, Manchester United, Man City, and Chelsea do.

For games that Arsenal are likely to have the majority of possession then yes, the 4-3-3 is a viable formation to use. There are still some creases to iron out no doubt, but it did look promising in the first half.

The only problem is the over-reliance on Partey. Should an injury happen again (fingers and toes crossed) then you get the sense this formation would cease to function properly. It’s Partey centric. It makes the decision to not go after Houssem Aouar and re-sign Granit Xhaka rather puzzling.

There were also clear teething issues for Smith Rowe, who seemed uncertain of his role in the system. Positionally he was off and not knowing whether to stick or twist affected his influence. Early doors, though.

Overall, it was a gritty one-nil win to the Arsenal and the club has got that winning feeling back. Up next is Wimbledon in the EFL Cup and then Tottenham at the weekend. It is finally good to see Arsenal back on the winner’s list.