football.london looks back at the talking points from the Gunners’ 3-1 Premier League win over Burnley at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hugs his player Leandro Trossardi during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Burnley FC at Emirates Stadium on November 11, 2023 in London, England.
Leandro Trossard is one of the talking points in Arsenaland#039’s 3-1 win over Burnley. (Photo: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal returned to winning ways with a 3-1 win over Burnley at the weekend. The Gunners didn’t get off to the quickest start and could easily have gone behind when David Raya’s superb low save kept out Johan Berg Gudmundsson, but then took the lead when Leandro Trossard poked home after half-time. .
However, Vincent Kompany’s team came back and leveled with Luca Koleosho. However, the score did not stay level for long as William Saliba put Arsenal back in front a minute later, before Alex Zinchenko’s superb third put the game out of sight. Fabio Vieira’s late red card added to the threat, but the Gunners held off Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. Here football.london returns to the talking points of the game.
Amazing Trossard
Ask any soccer player and they’ll tell you what they dream about, having the crowd cheer them after a goal. As Leandro Trossard headed home for Arsenaland#039’s opener on Saturday, he took the opportunity with an unfortunate collision with the post that left him on the floor.
No problem, he got another chance at the limelight when he was taken off after nine minutes. Well, not exactly. Instead, Trossardand#039;s moment in the sun was stolen when Bukayo Saka was also substituted at the same time, earning the 28-year-old a standing ovation. When Trossard departed, he almost nervously offered a light round of applause to the Emirates faithful and disappeared into the bench in his usual subdued fashion. But that’s what the Arsenal team loves so much about him. Joe Sugg reacts to girlfriend Dianne’s romantic dance and Bobby Strictly dances after and#039;almost-kiss#039;
If you counted Arsenal’s best players this season, the Belgian probably wouldn’t be the first name on your list. And yet Trossard quietly became the Gunnersand#039; this season’s top scorer and provided two more assists to his teammates. With quiet efficiency, he has continued to bring the same level of quality that has blown away a title from Arsenal since his arrival in January.
Besides his modest style, Trossardand’s superpower is his ability to bring out the best in those around him. Gabriel Martinelli has looked unstoppable since the Belgian stepped into the team at center forward in the absence of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, while Saka is reaching new levels of brilliance. andquot;I think he’ll get that together,andquot; Mikel Arteta has spoken of a £21m winter deal. andquot;He’s so smart. I think he moves in a way that attracts people and creates space and options for people. Today he did it very well because it was so difficult and the spaces were so small to attack. He gave us many dangers and opportunities to connect and find space for us.andquot;
Had he not been plagued by hamstring problems this season, it’s hard not to wonder how many goals the Belgian could have had. Whenever Arsenal have needed him this season, he has been a difference maker.
Arteta and VAR…again
Debates about referees and VAR are both annoying and furious. After a week of banal chatter about Arsenaland’s reaction to Mikel Arteta’s reaction to Anthony Gordon’s Newcastle goal, even the Spaniard seemed tired of talking about the officials.
andquot;I think we had a lot of reactions after that match,andquot; he said at the pre-match press conference. andquot;It’s time to move on, focus on Burnley and focus on tomorrow’s game.andquot;
After Arsenal’s largely comfortable home win over Burnley, it seemed the conversation could finally move on. Thank God! However, Arteta had other ideas. As he stepped into his post-match media duties, the Spaniard couldn’t help but listen to the devil over his shoulder.
andquot;With the red card… yes, VAR was right,andquot; he answered a question about the decision to retain Fabio Vieira’s red card. andquot;The judge was right. Really good decision, very positive of Mikel to talk about it. Good decision.andquot;
It was a compliment that would make Arteta’s sports idol Rafael Nadal proud. His on-air interviews were even more brutal and once again we are forced to talk about Arteta’s behavior towards officials.
There was a period a few years ago when Arsenal seemed to get a red card in every game. After being asked about it almost every week during the season, Arteta finally decided the best course of action was to not talk about it and hope it would eventually go away. The plan worked then, and there’s no reason why it can’t work now. No doubt Arsenal #039 worked hard at St Jamesand; Park. Gabriel made a clear mistake and the goal should not have stood. But as he tries to control the narrative around more positive examples, Arteta is probably best to take his own advice and move on, rather than drag his side back into the murky waters of referee impropriety.
Injuries are piling up again
Arsenaland’s 3-1 win over Burnley wasn’t far from their glorious best, but before we dive into the criticism of the display, it’s worth remembering how many injuries they’ve had. Gunnersand#039 were Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus; absent list at five even before Ben’s late absences