Winners and Losers: Burnley (a)

Arsenal have gotten another three points on the board, winning 0-1 away to Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday. A sumptuous free kick by Martin Odegaard proved the winner as the Gunners hung on for a hard-earned victory against one of the more physical sides in the Premier League. Horrendous passing and wastefulness in front of goal prevented a more emphatic scoreline. But the green shoots of improvement are there for what is now surely Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Below are three winners and three losers from a successful away day at Burnley.

Winners

Aaron Ramsdale

Yeah, Bernd Leno isn’t getting his job back anytime soon. After three full matches between the sticks for Arsenal, Ramsdale still has yet to concede a goal for his new club. The Englishman commanded his penalty area, refusing to get bullied by the likes of Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes during set pieces and claiming crosses convincingly. His distribution was also tremendous. On multiple occasions, he did well to find teammates further up the pitch and initiate counterattacks. He communicated well with his back line, and his passion was infectious on the day, even through a screen. Ramsdale has done more than enough to ensure he remains Arteta’s No. 1 moving forward, which should be a boon to Arsenal’s defense.

Takehiro Tomiyasu

With a workmanlike approach to his defensive duties reminiscent of Bacary Sagna and Nacho Monreal, Tomiyasu continued to impress in his second appearance for Arsenal. He was rarely beaten on the right flank on Saturday. Time and time again, Tomiyasu nicked the ball off Burnley attackers and blocked crosses before they entered his penalty area. The Japanese defender is proving a reliable right-back, and will hoepfully continue to improve as he continues to settle in north London.

Gabriel

After missing the first three matches, Gabriel is back in a big way. Probably the most secure member of Arsenal’s back four on Saturday, Gabriel is rediscovering the form that saw him voted Player of the Month three straight times to begin last season. Among his highlights was a last-ditch tackle with which the Brazilian stole the ball of the boot of a Burnley attacker in the six-yard box. His defensive heroics contributed massively to his side keeping a clean sheet at Turf Moor, and continued performances like the one he put in on Saturday should see him become a valued lieutenant in the Arsenal back line.

Losers

Ben White

Is has not been a convincing start for Arsenal’s marquee signing of the summer. Defensively, White had a solid performance, finishing with the most headed clearances and winning the most aerial duels on the day. However, the Englishman was also quite sloppy in his passing. Ironically, he frequently gave the ball away and at one point almost cost Arsenal their lead when his underplayed pass forced Ramsdale into a tackle that was briefly called as a penalty before being overturned by VAR. At times, White really did look for a like-for-like replacement for David Luiz, and not in a good way. Luckily he was bailed out by the rest of the back line and hopefully these are just growing pains. But if White does not start adapting to his new surroundings soon, questions will have to be asked.

Bukayo Saka

It wasn’t a great day at the office for Arsenal’s starboy. In all honesty, he hasn’t looked himself for much of the beginning to the current season. This is likely a hangover from the Euros, although playing on the left instead of his favored right flank might also be contributing to the issue. Saka was uncharacteristically sloppy on the ball and at other times a little slow to play his teammates into threatening situations. There isn’t much to worry about here just yet, but perhaps Arsenal’s best player could do with a game or two off the bench.

Granit Xhaka

For years, Arsenal have been immensely dependent on Xhaka, practically to their detriment. But on Saturday, Arteta unveiled what might be an XI he has been building to since he took the helm at Arsenal: a 4-3-3 in which Thomas Partey played as a six while Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe functioned as eights ahead of him. At times, this arguably resembled a 4-2-3-1 because Odegaard would drop deep, but the point stands that Arteta went with a much more attacking lineup than onlookers have become accustomed to. This may just spell the end for Xhaka, who can neither play as a lone six in midfield nor operate as an attacking eight. Furthermore, Albert Sambi Lokonga came on as a substitute and provided security and a progressive outlet for the ball as Burnley chased an equalizer. Even Ainsley Maitland-Niles put in an impressive defensive shift and played some good passes forward to get Arsenal out of their own third late in the game. If Arteta continues with this more offensively geared setup, it is hard to imagine Xhaka fitting into this system as anything other than a sub to help see out matches in which his team is leading. Whether or not Arteta was merely attempting to find a way to play while Xhaka is suspended, it appears he may have found a permanent solution.

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