Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
For Arsenal fans watching the Premier League action yesterday it was the perfect set of results with Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United all dropping points. A combination which could see Arsenal move up to 2nd in the table by the end of the day.
A win would move them above their arch rivals Tottenham and also 4 points clear of Manchester City in 5th, if that is to be the case then they will have to dispose of Sean Dyche’s Burnley this Afternoon in front of their own fans at The Emirates.
Arsenal come into this game off the back of a 4 match unbeaten run, a run which has bought 10 points from a maximum 12. The only blemish in that record is the draw with Bournemouth in which they fought back from 3-0 down to earn what seemed at the time a very unlikely point.
That draw bought ire from Arsenal fans as many argued that they should never have allowed themselves to get into that situation in the first place but there were no such grumbles last week when they eased past Swansea thanks to a 4-o win at The Liberty Stadium.
The biggest headline from that game though was Alexis Sanchez’s apparent sulk after being subbed off in the second half. The Chilean international had just put The Gunners 4-0 up and was then subsequently told his time was up, that did not go down well with Sanchez.
Now you can say it’s just a sign of someone who wants to keep playing as they feel they can probably add another a goal or two but what cannot be forgotten is the fact that this is a player who is in somewhat drawn out contract negotiations. Therefore it may wise to tread carefully and try not to upset your prize asset.
That said it will no doubt all be forgotten if Sanchez manages to get on the score sheet this Afternoon against a Burnley side who are still looking for a first away win of the season. For most clubs that would usually point to a side that is struggling but that is not the case for The Clarets.
That is thanks to their phenomenal home form which has seen them earn 25 of their 26 points at Turf Moor, a tally that was added to last week thanks to a late Joey Barton winner. It was his free kick that was enough for Burnley to edge past Southampton and put more daylight between themselves and the drop zone.
Burnley could very well survive on just their home form alone, perhaps it’s a risky strategy but it’s certainly one that is working right now. Should they put an end to their winless streak on the road then they would move back into to the top half of the table.
In a sense it’s almost a free hit for them Today, that’s not to say they will roll over but their aversion to earning points away from home will certainly make Arsenal the favourites going into this Afternoon’s encounter and although there have been upsets already this Weekend, I can’t see one taking place here.
I think Arsenal will have too much for Burnley especially due to Burnley’s aforementioned issues away from home, therefore I think it’s going to be a near perfect weekend for Arsenal. One that could only be perfect if Chelsea were to then drop points later in the day. That aside I can’t see anything else than a home win.
