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

How welcome this winning feeling? Back-to-back 1-0 victories for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have the feel-good factor returning to the club.

Facing a Burnley side known for its physical approach and long-ball style, something that Arsenal has been notoriously bad at coping with, the Gunners proved on Sunday they have the steel needed to go to a place like Turf Moor and come away with the three points.

A pearler of a free-kick from midfield maestro Martin Odegaard in the first half proved to be the winning goal as the Gunners move up to the dizzying heights of 13th in the Premier League table.

Adopting what looked like a 4-3-3, Arsenal looked good in the opening exchanges with Thomas Partey in sublime form with consistent one-touch passes to break through the Burnley blocks of four.

Arsenal: 5 talking points from narrow 1-0 Burnley win as Martin Odegaard’s free-kick seals Premier League win for Mikel Arteta’s men

The Gunners had to withstand a barrage of Burnley pressure for the majority of the second half but dealt with it well thanks to Aaron Ramsdale and a superb defensive showing from the back four who repelled Burnley time and time again – especially the 40 crosses they attempted.

Is a corner being turned? Here are the talking points from Saturday’s battling Lancashire win.

1. The No.1 shirt is Ramsdale’s to lose

Say what you want about Arsenal shelling out £24m (soon to be £30m at this rate) for a keeper from the Championship, but Ramsdale has been nothing but superb so far in his Arsenal career with back-to-back clean Premier League sheets. In doing so, he is proving thousands of Arsenal fans very, very wrong.

On Saturday, the 23-year-old was immense. Grabbing incoming crosses with authority, commanding his box, using excellent distribution to go around and through Burnley’s pressing and constantly communicating with his teammates.

He also got Ben White out of trouble with an incredible intervention in the second half as Chris Wood was put through on goal from an under-hit back pass from the central defender. Despite referee Anthony Taylor pointing to the spot, after a VAR check you could see Ramsdale got the ball as White’s blushes were spared.

There is now an air of confidence from an Arsenal goalkeeper, something that has been missing for years and that flows on to the rest of the team. Aside from a few sticky situations, Ramsdale was just about Arsenal’s best on the day as he repelled countless Burnley attacks with authority.

With Ramsdale in this kind of form, Bernd Leno is going to have to be content playing cup games as it is clear from the few games Ramsdale has played that he is by far a better fit for how Arteta wants his keeper to play than the German.

There is no conceivable way he loses this shirt. None at all.

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2. Arsenal’s defense was superb

An away game like this in years gone by would have seen the Gunners wilt under the constant pressure being applied from the home side. A barrage of long balls into the box would have yielded an equalizer normally, however, on Saturday the Arsenal backline was phenomenal.

Gabriel was a brick wall in defense as he matched the physicality brought by Burnley’s frontmen in Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood in a way rarely seen from an Arsenal defender. White was also solid in aerial duels and won his fair share as he put forth a decent showing, which was in contrast to his afternoon with the ball on the ground.

Japanese international Takehiro Tomiyasu was again superb both on the ground and in the air as he won all four aerial duels and his one ground duel in an incredible shift. He is proving to be an astute signing from Arteta and has shored up the right-hand side with aplomb.

How Arsenal defended the long balls into the box, constantly getting it out of the danger area even after Burnley had won the second ball only to put it straight back into the mixer showed excellent resilience.

In years gone by, Arsenal would have conceded from one of Burnley’s forays into the box yet on Saturday, there was a feeling that despite the home side pressing, it never felt like a breakthrough was coming as the Gunners backline dealt with everything rather well. A last-ditch tackle from Gabriel and Tomiyasu in the first half to deny Barnes but that was as close as Burnley got to a goal.

Overall, it was a defensive performance that was “un-Arsenal like” and it was a sight for sore eyes. Having Gabriel back in the heart of defense makes the world of difference along with White, Tomiyasu, and Aaron Ramsdale in goal. Arsenal’s worst area on the pitch for the last decade has improved out of sight.

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3. Worrying signs for Bukayo Saka?

I say this with hesitancy but Saka looked out of sorts, and in the five Premier League games this year, it has become something of a theme with our star boy.

It might be down to playing in the Euros over summer and not having a long enough break but against Burnley, his touch was missing and physically he just did not look right. He is still only 19 years old and he is going to have dips in form, but this has been a slight trend.

Perhaps he just needs a rest.

However, given their current predicament, Arteta cannot afford to give him a break. For whatever reason, Saka just has not been at the races this season and while it is cause for some concern, there is belief that he will snap out of it sooner rather than later.

Several times on Saturday his touch was wayward, he was not making the runs we are used to, losing balls that normally he would win and win easily. It is something to ponder for our young superstar.

But, to his credit, he battled hard and it was his turn and run after picking the ball up in between the lines that won the all-important free-kick in the first half.

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4. Thomas Partey is the difference maker

Something we knew already, right?

His ability to cut through Burnley’s midfield when in possession sent Arsenal on their way numerous times. Once he was substituted with what is an apparent injury (Arteta confirmed it was cramp), Arsenal lost some of the midfield dominance.

Partey was in top form on Saturday and Burnley knew his importance by having either Wood or Barnes marking him when Arsenal tried to play it out from the back. This often meant Ramsdale, Gabriel or White were forced into long balls and stopped Partey from having an influence.

It is something that opposing teams will look to do more often as the Ghanaian is critical to how Arteta wants his side to play.

When Partey did get on the ball, good things happened, and he pushed the Gunners upfield with ease and this put Burnley on the back foot. He managed the transitions superbly, blocked and intercepted regularly and when he effectively played as a centre-back in the second half he held the fort magnificently.

He is imperative in this team.

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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.