By Walter Broeckx
No changes from the team that started the match against Liverpool. Koscielny is fit again and the only change is in fact Gabriel who wasn’t even on the bench. So a last minute injury or illness we can assume.
Team that started: Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud. And on the bench: Szczesny, Gibbs, Chambers, Flamini, Rosicky, Walcott, Welbeck.
Arsenal immediately attacking but Ospina had to come out to block a Burnley counter. Arsenal with a combination ending up with a shot from Alexis that went over. Burnley trying the long ball approach and this caused a few moments of needing to be alert.
Coquelin with a great interception on the halfway line starting an attack that lead to a shot from Alexis that was blocked and fell to Özil. The German had a shot at goal that was stopped by the keeper and fell back to Alexis but his shot was blocked by a defender and tit then fell for Ramsey who finaly put it over the line. 0-1 to The Arsenal after 10 minutes.
Dean then gave a free kick just outside the penalty area but the free kick was stopped by the wall and Ospina with a good punch cleared the danger. Arsenal then on the counter but Ramsey was judged offside when we were going to have a shot.
Ramsey pushing the assistant on the field when the ball went out was just an accident I think. Not that you see it much. But everyone could smile with it. Dean doing his best to give as many free kicks to Burnley as can. A great save was needed by Ospina on one of the free kicks. Alexis shaking his head about Dean. A yellow card came out when Mee the Burnley player stopped Ramsey on a promising run.
Cazorla with a free kick after a clear handball but just wide. Duff getting a yellow card after the free kick for I don’t know what. Not for the handball anymore I think? The ball up in the air most of the time because of Burnley just putting it high and far most of the time and then you get this type of match. Arsenal trying to keep the ball on the ground but no real fluent attacking moves for the moment. AFter 30 minutes Arsenal still lead 0-1.
Mee with an arm in the face of Giroud but the yellow card remains in the pocket, would have been his second. The two most contrasting styles one can see on a football field. Arsenal trying to play with the ball and Burnley just pumping it up field and chasing like mad. Barnes fouling Ramsey and Dean….gives the free kick to Burnley? Okay, he corrected it but that was strange. Probably a lapse of concentration in the last minute of the first half. 0-1 in favour of Arsenal after 45 minutes.
Ospina having to do the first goal keepers work in the second half stopping a shot on the turn after a corner. Burnley committing three times as many fouls as Arsenal up to now. Not much goal danger from both sides in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Just when I wrote this a low shot from Alexis but well saved by the keeper. Still 0-1 after one hour.
Ramsey then with a shooting chance but a last second block from a defender prevents an Arsenal goal. From the corner Cazorla shoots over the crossbar. A sloppy pass from Koscielny luckily not leading to any real danger. Maybe a bad bump on the pitch that didn’t look the same quality as the one at the Emirates.
Monreal hooking a ball away before Burnley can get a shot in. And a minute later a real chance but Boyd completely misses his shot. Arsenal not playing at their best for the moment. Ings with a shot on the turn but again Ospina stopped it well. Cazorla and Özil the only ones from Arsenal that try to keep the ball down and play it from feet to feet.
That was finally leading to Arsenal taking the ball and the match back in control and now camping in the Burnley half. Not yet leading to real chances but at least we are finally playing some decent football. With 10 minutes to go Welbeck came on in the place of Giroud. He will not score in his 8th match in a row.
Alexis feeding it to Özil who gives it to Welbeck but his shot is diverted in a corner. Alexis trying to set up Welbeck then but a defender got his foot in front of it. We could have finished the match by now. Burnley make a final substitution in the last minute of extra time and so does Arsenal. Chambers comes on and Alexis goes off.
Nothing changes anymore and Arsenal win with a hard fought victory against a team that didn’t really came to play football but some kind of other sport that they seem to like up there. We dug deep, defended well and gave not much away. We could have made it less nerve wrecking by scoring a second goal but this is also a good example on how the team can even beat a kick and rush team and Dean in the same match.
8 wins in a row, the longest winning run in the league. We can now relax and watch the other 3 teams in the top 4 dropping points. Ramsey with an early match winner. Arsenal currently 4 points behind Chelsea who we will play next in the PL after that other important affair next week in Wembley.
I believe the second Burnley yellow is for talking back to the referee.
A hard fought game. Matches with a relegation threatened team can be tough and this was no exception. One has to admire Burnley for their work rate, in the end class came through.
But, a good win and a very valuable three points.
As for dancing Dean – no last Tango in Turf Moor for him!!
Funny when we accept Dean when he is only slightly bad when compared to how bad we know he has been. However, with the score at 0-1 and the crowd on his back, I was nervous until the end that he would give a penalty against us.
Good, solid performance. Brilliant football not possible in those conditions. All played a part, but Coquelin a contender for MoM.
Brilliant commentary by Thierry Henry on Coquelin before at half time and after the game. Made Coquelin the man of the match. Really insightful.
Also lovely chat on air with Ramsey after the game – Ramsey changed his whole approach to the questions when suddenly Thierry came on.
Fascinating stuff.
@John
I agree with the view Coq was motm, hardly put a foot wrong and brilliant ball distribution. Which reminds me, a certain someone called me a special case on here when I said Coq had been brilliant in game number 4 or 5 after his return. Maybe I wasn’t crazy after all 🙂
Tony
Pleased to hear he got motm then. switched to the sevilla-Barcelona straight after so didn’t see the post game analysis. Would have loved to hear the exchange between Thierry and Ramsey 🙂
I still don’t like the picks of the BBC for fan reaction:
> Antoine V: This win doesn’t mean more pressure on Chelsea. To an Arsenal fan (like me) it means one thing, 3 wins from guaranteed 4th!
This Antoine person is not an Arsenal Fan. He may be a Le Gnome fan. Today’s win just continues something we have been striving for. We want to finish as high as we can. We don’t turn off because 4th (or 6th or whatever) has been reached.
A quick glance at the news, most seem to be suggesting Coquelin for MOTM, with possibly Ramsey second.
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Want to practice your Spanish? I found a commentary of the game from Chile.
http://www.elgraficochile.cl/en-vivo-burnley-arsenal/prontus_elgrafico/2015-04-11/122914.html
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In some North Amrican Soccer League (2nd Division-ish?) related news, the Ottawa Fury were on a plane to go to their next game, when another passenger on the plane started choking one of the Ottawa Fury players by wrapping a cord around his neck.
Thanks Walter.
AL
You’re by no means alone in recognising le Coq’s sturdy play.
A couple of weeks ago I trawled through the UA archives trying to find a comment I’d written about him when he came on as sub in the dart muni home match (the one where Song done his Songaldihno routine, reaching the byline and crossing for van thingy to score). Le Coq played at left back. He was soooo good. (Can’t find my comments. I was only looking for it so I could re-post it, in order for me to say, I told you so).
Anyway, back then – I told y’all.
Well done Arsenal.
Coq goal celebration:
https://mobile.twitter.com/GzaDaRambler/status/586943507362881536/video/1
Nice one Walter. A scrappy hard fought win against a very physical team who did have the odd quality player or two. A team fighting for its life, having seen Sunderland and Hull lose earlier on. Full credit to Wenger and the team for a very professional display in testing conditions. And what a run! Coq is quite a find.
A big up to all those that have been touting Le Coq for so long.
He really is a star and those that saw it should take great satisfaction in doing so.
He is going to be a massive long term star for Arsenal.
A pretty turgid game that we won fairly, but not if you’d been listening to Burnley fans who think we and Dean, repeat “and Dean” cheated them. Now there’s a first.
In the Mail’s marks out of ten Coq only got 6.5, while Ramsey scored 8.5. It’s true Aaron was excellent, but not our best player .
TailGunner
You could tell by the crowds reaction they thought they where getting a bad deal from Dean.
Amazingly, and thank Heavens, Dean didn’t get caught up in the bullshit.
They don’t seem to realise, they actually got away with it !!
Gord
You regularly reference the BBC in your posts. Are these games transmitted by the Beeb in Canada (I think that’s where you said you live)?
6.5 ?
It’s not called the Daily ‘fail’ for nothing 😆
Can’t wait for FACup semifinal, Reading will try their best, but this Arsenal side is formidable. They kept home side so quiet when they desperaty needed point for surivival…
Fabulous result on ground, where both Manchesters, Tottenham and Souithampton failed to win. Chelsea won there, Liverpool won too.
8 wins in a row, if the Sunderland game was not resheduled, it could be a easy game to nail the 9th in the row.
2 weeks for the top, top game with Chelsea. Will Arsene finally win against Mourinho? With patient aproach it is more than possible!
Rantetta
I remember those cameos by Coq, each time he played he was brilliant. I actually thought he was a defender those days 🙂
Great accurate post match report Walter! Arsenal got a very hard fought win today!
Listening to the commentators post match is still upsetting though when they keep on stating Arsenal just can not put together for a full season period, end stop! Yet no analysis of what really stopped the team end of last year and beginning of this year: Injuries!
Giroud missed 9 PL games (8/23-11/22/14): Arsenal’s record: 3W- 4D- 2L Win%: 33%
w/ Giroud: 17W- 2D- 4L Win%: ~74%
That’s easily adding 3 wins from those draws or losses, making up the difference and probably putting Arsenal in pole position.
@jambug
I suspect some Burnley fans thought and hoped that Dean would really screw us – based on his previous performances – in effect he was far from perfect – some strange decisions, but he didn’t get the chance to screw us to the satisfaction of the Burnley fans – and they then tried to encourage “Dean the Dastardly” to surface.
Yet again you lot know nothing about football!! Talkshite’s Colliedog voted for Kos as MOTM after slating everything Arsenal during commentary. I had to listen to his drivel because the stream I was watching was poor & that was the only live commentary.
I agree that Coq was fantastic in his positioning & timing. He ruled the middle of the park for most of the game. My MOTM as well.
Menace
I feel for you.
I too have no option but to listen to ‘Dogger’ and ‘wife Beater’ Collymore on occasion.
It hurts me to know even a tiny fraction of my SKY payments go into his and that wanker Durhams pockets.
St. Totteringham’s day is inching closer.:)
jambug – its)twats like him that make us appreciate good commentators. I always thank God for idiots because they give me a level against which I can measure sense 😉 .
Menace
I do not set the bar that high, but I thank God that it’s at a moral and intellectual level above which those 2 morons operate.
@ Menace, why don’t you use the arsenal online commentary? It’s pretty good these days.
Robl, I second your vote for the Arsenal Online commentary, now given by genuine Arsenal supporters. As a bonus this coming Monday evening they have full live coverage of the U21 game at the Emirates.
robi – I would have used it but I was streaming anyway. But I think that’s what I’ll use for future away games. I go to the home games & will be at Wembley for the semi v Reading.
I would have had Sky & BT but I’m only in UK for 4 or 5 months of the year. I wish these companies realised that there is a short term market. They all want to charge for a whole year!! In India I pay for the period I need with Star Sports & English package.
TailGunner
Sorry, I was out (at a funeral).
While BBC Canada formally exists, it isn’t the BBC. It is a selection of shows from the BBC mixed in with other stuff. The franchise is owned by one of the national cable TV chains, and so the fill in material is from their other networks.
Today’s game had TSN (which is owned by the Bell cable chain) rebroadcasting the NBC feed. The combined intelligence of that group is negative. So I had the sound muted about 30 seconds after kick off.
Mostly I follow the bbc.co.uk website and other forms of text news (with javascript off and no flash plugin).
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Burnley seemed to do 2 things a lot on high balls: they would come in to deliver a hip check before the Arsenal player started to jump, or just as the Arsenal player was landing they would push them. Neither is legal in the slightest, and I don’t think Mighty Dick called any of them.
Al
“I agree with the view Coq was motm, hardly put a foot wrong and brilliant ball distribution. Which reminds me, a certain someone called me a special case on here when I said Coq had been brilliant in game number 4 or 5 after his return. Maybe I wasn’t crazy after all :)”
Dear Al, your memory is not that great I’m afraid.
The game you are referring to was against Hull city in the FA cup, where Coquelin had indeed performed well above average and showed a lot of promise.
The reason I called you a “special case “because you called Coquelin’s tackling in that game ” brilliant”, when in fact two of his tackles were probably the worst two tackles by any Arsenal player this season, for which he thankfully only received one yellow card.
To refresh your memory, one tackle was a perfect replica of Bob Beamon’s
1968 Mexico City long jump record breaking ” leap of the century”, except maybe some twenty feet shorter but with a perfect two footed landing, and the other one was a studs up ,one footed shin braker on Mc Shane.
These types of tackles when directed at our players are labeled ” dirty, reckless and assaults” and in most cases rightfully so, so it’s only right we condemn them when our players commit them too and not call them “brilliant”.
Coquelin has become an “automatic” selection since the Hull game, although I am surprised you praise him for his ball distribution, calling it “brilliant”, again.
As a matter of fact one of the reasons for Coquelin’s ascendency is being attributed to him simplifying his game. He always thought of himself as an all around midfielder and play maker when clearly his not.
Arsene Wenger sat him down and told him to stick to what his good at and it worked. Ball distribution is not one of his strengths and Arsenal have countless players in midfield who can do better job at it than him.
Koscielny and Mertesacker bypass Coquelin altogether in a build up even when he makes himself available to receive a pass.
Coquelin’s job is to win the ball back and imiedietly lay it off to the closest Arsenal playmaker available , and he’s done that almost to perfection.
If that’s what you call a ” brilliant ball distribution “, then that’s fine by me but I wouldn’t call him a prolific passer.
That’s not his job.
Having said that he was my MOTM too.
Wonder if Coqs emergence will influence transfer plans in the summer? He seems to work very well alongside a bos to box player, of which we have two or three. Think he has been a big influence against physical teams, as well as the big boys he has played against, will be interesting to see how he does against Chelsea. Agree, he is an automatic selection at the moment.
Coq…..my MOTM as well,,by some margin
I couldn’t help but start thinking of our next match (FA cup) and what the line up will look like. I foresee and would like wholesome changes with a lot of players on the bench today making the line up. Its so easy to have a very strong team from the bench. Imagine
Sheezy
Debuchi. Mert. Gabriel. Gibbs
Arteta Wilshere
Walcott Ozil Rosicky
Welbeck
That’s 9 changes yet a balanced and strong side that can make us proud.
COYG
I seem to remember some interview of Wenger much earlier in the season, and it was mentioned that Diaby would consider the defensive midfielder role. Which sort of indicates that we have 3 players for that role. I have no idea if transfers will influence that. I think that Bielik and/or Chambers have consideration there as well.
Asking a player to play a physical position, is asking for injuries. It is also asking a player to get carded.
I don’t know if Coquelin is doing much distribution wise, I will leave to those of you who attend games or consistently watch on TV. But if _all_ he is doing, is keeping aware of who his nearest outlets are, that is enough. Intercept the ball, get it to the outlet, mission accomplished.
Tom
“I wouldn’t call him a prolific passer.
That’s not his job.”
That made me chuckle a bit; you introduce something I never said and attack it immediately, for what purpose? To make it look like you’ve scored a valid point against my argument? Anyway I’m not going to waste time arguing with you about the whys and hows of that day as you never see a lot of positive stuff from what our players do. But having watched the match today I lost count of the number of times Coq received the ball near the centre circle, take one touch, swivel round send it on to the other wing or forwards. It was almost like watching Arteta, with the added bonus of the interceptions. That he got motm from pretty much everyone including Thierry, despite not scoring a goal, suggests to me that he thoroughly deserved it, that his all round play was magnificent, and not just stopping burnley (who I must admit were not exactly launching wave after wave of attacks, to merit his motm on interceptions alone). Anyway, i know you’re probably going to start moaning about my use of the word magnificent, but to be frank with you I’m actually running out of superlatives to describe the magnificent talent in this side (oops, I used the word again). Can’t help myself, I just love this team 🙂
Coquelin when he wins the ball releases it very quickly to a team-mate and while he may not attempt a killer pass, he usually passes intelligently and accurately – despite being often under some pressure. In that sense his distribution is excellent.
More than that, his tackling and interceptions are excellent – as are his positioning, discipline and reading of the game. Additionally, all these attributes are, under AW’s tutelage, still improving. Not only that, the guy has guts.
Another AW gem in the making, not yet the finished article, but improving with each and every game.
Tom
I know I said I wasn’t gonna waste my time responding to your post but then thought you might take that as an admission you’re correct. So I’m going to touch on a few things.
First, he didn’t ‘show a lot of promise’ to some of us that day against hull; he’d shown it a long time ago when Dutch traitors were still on our side. Probably you were discovering him that day but to some of us he was just fulfilling what we had seen in him a lot earlier.
Second, context is everything; you compare one of his tackles to an Olympic jump and call it the worst by an Arsenal player all season. …well, look at who you’re comparing with,Arsenal players, who aren’t known for their tackling, which can be described as soft at best. That would be viewed as a moderate tackle were it to be compared against ones seen from sides like west ham, Stoke, even the Leicesters, etc. And you have to look at who we were playing against and how they were also tackling, dishing out tackles the likes of Savage drooling over. In short, that tackle wasn’t out of place in that match. Having said that I wasn’t referring to a couple of tackles only that you chose to focus on, but on his breakup of their play, last ditch tackling, interceptions, etc. I packaged it all under one word; brilliant.
Third, you spent the most part of your post attacking him; “kos and per bypass him…, he’s clearly not a playmaker…, his ball distribution isn’t brilliant…, he’s not a prolific passer…, there are countless (I’d to read this one twice) players in the Arsenal side better at ball distribution…,” – you don’t seem to be happy with his tackling either. You go on to say he’s become an “automatic” selection. ..showing you think he’s only in there coz of other reasons. You don’t think he’s good, period.
I think the fact he played with a broken nose shows what a valuable player he is. It shows that you don’t rate him, even though everyone else thinks he’s done a wonderful job in that area, and perhaps one of the best we have in that position in the last five years. His awareness and vision is among top drawer, hope you saw Thierry”s pre-match analysis.
Anyway, i am not going to stay here all night trying to convince you that he is brilliant, coz he is and I don’t have to explain it. I suspect your judgement of him is based on the dismissals by the media who were initially questioning what he’d been doing on loans with championship sides if he was that good (many of them are changing their tune tho). Time will prove you wrong.
AL
Having read your exchange with Tom, I’ve now forgotten what I meant to say to you. I’d only point out that the Flam makes the odd rash challenge, and I can call it that because they’re often not called when practised on Arsenal players.
I can’t remember if le Coq’s nose was broken 3 times in 2 matches or 3 times in 3. Fellanielbow certainly targeted him and at this time of night I can’t remember who else. All I know is that chelski will target Coq as they’ve done to him in the past, and as they do to our whole team, regularly.
Ramires on Coq. Drogba on any defender, inc. diving/cheating. Obi Micky on anyone. Ivanobitch on anyone. Cahill on anyone…..
Bah, going to bed.
Nope. I’m still up. Henry un-doubts Coq:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OCIjAqgii-Q
Coq cop:
http://i.imgur.com/gGKo4hm.jpg
Coq v Burnley:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pre7ajCc1yc
i think mert deserve special credit for this game as well. Burnley’s game play revolve around getting the ball to vokes who mert have kept him quiet all game long 😀
The Daily Mail writes about Henry talking about Coquelin at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3035174/Thierry-Henry-hails-detective-Francis-Coquelin-man-match-display-Burnley-calls-midfielder-Columbo.html
It looks like the spots you (Tony) were looking for, are not referenced as video by Daily Mail (perhaps Rantetta’s are, or others). But, someone should point out to TH, that he should not be standing in a suit giving a presentation with one hand in his pants pocket.
And I’m going to sleep soon as well.
@Gord
“should not be standing in a suit giving a presentation with one hand in his pants pocket”.
eh? why not?
WOO HOO , HOO ! Well done the lads ! Did what we had to do , not pretty , but then again , it takes two to tango !
Up the Gunners !
Am I imagining it or are Sky showing fewer replays of fouls given/not given? Yesterday there were a number of such occurrences where I’m sure they would normally have shown a replay but didn’t. Kind of makes referee reviews very hard to do. Which I suspect is the point.
Rantetta
Thanks for the links 🙂 Hope Tom finds the time to watch them, especially the second one, sums up all I was trying to say about Coq.
Don’t worry you pretty little head Al. Tom would win a million and complain he should have won 10 million. Some people are never happy! Don’t try to understand you’re just not a negative person! So happy for le Coq! Was wondering what his position was going to be after all those composed perfomances through the years!
With apologies to Conan:
COQUELIN THE DESTROYER!
Teams can’t play through with him in there. I wholeheartedly agree with those giving him MOTM. Another tough, composed performance for the three points.