Arsenal vs. Burnley: Key Issues and Decisions That Will Shape EPL Game
After achieving a much-needed 2-0 win over Sunderland last weekend, Arsenal are back in action on Saturday with a game against Burnley.
It's the first time the Gunners have seen the Clarets in quite some time, given they've only just been promoted back to the Premier League. This should be a relatively easy game, as Burnley are dead last in the table with only four points.
Arsenal, however, have yet to click this season and tend to make things harder for themselves than necessary. Let's look at four key issues that will shape the game.
Kieran Gibbs' Fitness
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Despite the fact that Kieran Gibbs hobbled off the pitch with an apparent hip injury last weekend, there has been no official word on his fitness, and he is not on the injury list on Arsenal.com.
His fitness could significantly affect the composition of the back four. Without him, Wenger will have to go with Nacho Monreal on the left, Calum Chambers and Per Mertesacker in the center of defense and Hector Bellerin on the right.
With Gibbs, Wenger might well stick with his most recent defensive setup, consisting of Gibbs on the left, Monreal and Mertesacker in the middle and Chambers on the right.
My personal ideal is the former, with Gibbs swapped for Monreal.
How Wenger Uses Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski
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Arsenal desperately need something different in attack, and Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski are both able to provide the team with alternatives.
Podolski is, as we know, a straight goalscorer, and Arsenal have lacked essential directness in front of goal. While he will probably not start, he has been extremely effective in his few appearances as a super sub this season.
Theo Walcott will probably not start either, but the fact that he was named on the bench last weekend likely means that he will get some game time on Saturday to build his fitness and regain his physical edge.
Arsenal have no other option with his pace and finishing skill, other than perhaps Alexis Sanchez, so his return is extremely welcome.
Whether Wenger Rotates
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Burnley have not shown that they are able to withstand Premier League competition so far this season. And Arsenal have a very important Champions League tie against Anderlecht in midweek.
That seems like an obvious chance for Arsene Wenger to give some key players a bit of rest, but the manager is famously reluctant to switch up his teams against weaker opponents.
This seems like a good time to give Alexis Sanchez a breather for example, as the Chilean has run his legs off in recent matches. He will probably not have to carry the team against Burnley, as he has in several of the Gunners' recent games.
Wenger knows his players and their needs better than any of us, though, so one can only speculate about what he will do.
Who Will the Wingers Be?
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Arsene Wenger's tactical preferences and Mesut Ozil's absence make the manager's decision about who to play on the wings a topic of conjecture nearly every game.
He could play Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez on the left and right respectively, with Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey in the middle. He could forsake one of the latter two and put Cazorla in his more natural central position, sticking Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the left.
Things will only get more interesting with Theo Walcott's return.
Here's why you should care, though: The team is much more fluid and cohesive when it plays with two out-and-out wingers. Let's hope, then, that Cazorla plays in the middle and Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis are on the flanks.
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