The Emirates FA Cup returns this weekend and the Gunners, looking to defend their title for the second year in a row, take on Burnley at home. Sean Dyche’s men are in fine form in the Championship following their relegation from England’s top-flight last season; sitting third in the table and looking confident of finishing in a play-off position. Both sides will be looking to progress in this competition, but it would be disastrous for the home side to go out this early in the tournament and as such, it can be expected that Arsene Wenger’s men will be giving it their all this weekend.
Burnley’s best player this season has been Andre Gray. Dyche’s new signing has certainly helped to fill the void left by Danny Ings’ departure to Liverpool. Having scored 23 goals in 15 appearances, it’s fair to say he is one of the most in-form attackers in the country right now. Therefore, the Gunners will need to be particularly wary of him. The Englishman has a particular knack of hounding defenders while they are on the ball and sticking close to them when Burnley attack so that he can slip past them with his superb first touch and impressive acceleration. A player like Gray can only be stopped if the defenders sit further back, meaning that although he may still stick to them, he will be left miles apart from the rest of his team and thus without a constant supply of the ball.
The other thing that the Gunners need to make sure that they do not do is dawdle on the ball. One major factor in the Gunners’ attack is to start from the back, play a few passes between the defenders before playing the ball forward slowly. With Gray on the prowl, the Arsenal defenders will need to be aware of how close he is and make sure that they release their passes quickly and cleanly. If they can manage that, then it limits the damage that Gray can cause.
Another man that the Gunners will have to watch out for is Sam Vokes. Arsenal faced the 26-year-old last season in the Barclays Premier League and so will know just how much of a threat he can pose. The Welshman is the club’s second-highest scorer this season with six goals. At six-foot-two, the striker will be an imposing presence on the pitch, however, he isn’t the quickest or mobile of players and as such the best way to combat Vokes will be to man-mark him out of the game. If there is always an Arsenal player nearby, then Vokes will be unable to run into pockets of space, or slip through the defence to latch onto a through ball.
Going forward, Arsenal need to improve. Against Chelsea, they looked threatening at times but never made the breakthrough that they needed. As such, Arsene Wenger’s men will need to not only increase the number of chances that they create but also improve the quality of their finishing when the chances arise. If they can do the little things correctly and efficiently, then the north London side should have no trouble brushing Burnley aside.
