It was a relief more than anything else to wrap up that 3-1 win over Burnley on Saturday.
Bad as they are, the Clarets put up a commendable resistance against an Arsenal side that has had to limp its way through the last few weeks, amid a series of unfortunate injuries to key players.
Apart from the perpetually-missing Thomas Partey and long-term absentee Jurrien Tumber, the Gunners were also without Martin Odegaard, Ben White, and Gabriel Jesus – three players whose absence would leave a hole in any squad.
That we were still able to control proceedings against Burnley, remain largely unscathed and come away with a win, albeit a scrappy one, is a huge positive.
Ironically, it’s also a positive that Premier League football takes a two-week break. With a full squad from which to chose, most of us would lament times like these but, on this occasion, this break gives us the chance to rest and repair.
With a fair wind and no further mishaps, we will hopefully see a few of those missing faces return to the fray in time for the trip to Brentford next weekend. Without this break, we might have been faced with three or four games in quick succession and a squad stretched to its limits.
As to the Burnley game itself, I think we can be generally happy with the performances. For me, stand-out performer on the day was Leandro Trossard, a player who has a freakish knack for goal involvements – both scoring and assisting.
There are some players for whom that ability seems to come naturally, whether by accident or by design, they are always in the right place at the right time. In this squad, Trossard has that ability in spades. This spell as the false nine seems to really suit him and a goal and assist are ample reward for his efforts on the day.
Praise for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli seems to go without saying these days, such is the consistency of their performances, but it should be said that both were progressive and tireless throughout. So much of our threat comes from those players and, despite every effort of our opponents to keep them suppressed, few are able to manage it for 90 minutes.
A final word also for Jorginho – whose level of performance has improved markedly as he has enjoyed an extended run in the team. The Italian was sloppy in the draw against Spurs but, with minutes under his belt, has found the sort of consistency that became his trademark at Chelsea.
Against Burnley, he was an excellent foil for Declan Rice and, more than that, was tidy in his own right.
Though the match itself is unlikely to go down as a classic, it was important for Mikel Arteta’s men to make it through to the end of a gruelling recent schedule. They did that.
If we can welcome a few familiar faces back for next weekend, we can move at last away from survival and more towards setting the pace.
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