Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be under tremendous pressure after suffering a 1-0 defeat at home to the then 18th placed Burnley, who now are out of the relegation zone, sitting 17th. Arsenal, who are 15th placed are having an awful Premier League campaign, winning only 4 of the 12 games played; drawing one and losing seven.
Arsenal have now lost 4 games in a row at the Emirates for the first time in 61 years. Struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League is nothing short of embarrassing for a club of Arsenal’s size and stature. Going into the game against Burnley, Arsenal had the perfect chance to get back to winning ways and try to turn things around. The Gunners had chances in the first half but couldn’t convert them. They came out a much better team in the second half but Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka’s inability to convert chances that fell to them were ultimately a factor in Arsenal’s loss.
But the main talking point was midfielder Granit Xhaka’s rush of blood that got him send off. Xhaka fouled Burnley’s Dwight McNeil and got into an arguement before Ashley Westwood intervened, only for the Arsenal midfielder to grab him by his neck. Xhaka got himself into trouble as soon as he did that. In today’s football where everything is checked by VAR, it wasn’t a wise decision to do that. Referee Graham Scott had no option but to show a red card to Xhaka.
Burnley soon made it 1-0 from a corner via deflection from Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
As soon as the full time whistle went, boos rang around the Emirates. Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney also had his say on the Gunner’s disappointing loss.
“We are not showing the manager what we can do and how much we believe in him,”
“Every game there are signs we are doing a bit better but it is still not good enough,” added Tierney.
“Hard work is the only thing [that can fix this], nothing else for it. There are no excuses. There is nothing I can say that will make people believe a positive thing is going to come out of this.”
Arsenal play Southampton at the Emirates on Wednesday. The Saints are currently flying high, sitting 4th in the league table. This game could decide Mikel Arteta’s future as a manager at Arsenal.
