“Deceptively flattering” you might ask? We dominated the first 15 minutes versus Liverpool, but squandered our chances. The inevitable almost followed, with Liverpool breaking our suicidal high line twice. Arsene Wenger should have sent Markovic some Easter goodies. Had he completed the connection to Sterling, the Emirates crowd may have turned ugly.

Admittedly, the Gunners truly put on a show after that. A couple of points to note in that performance. For a change, we weren’t obsessed with walking the ball into the net. Three of the four goals were from outside the penalty area and the fourth barely inside. The other point was during Danny Wellbeck’s brief cameo – did he or did he not sweep with consummate ease past the defence to the goal line and then try a shot from an impossible angle? Exactly as I described in my last post.

Even the pundits have it right when they point out that the problem with Arsenal is consistency. If we start the season well, we finish tamely; this year, it appears to be the opposite – so far. There are still about 10 games left in the season, if you reckon in the FA Cup. Let us not even look that far but instead focus on the next two games, one in each competition.

Two tricky fixtures against smaller sides await Arsenal

On paper, each is eminently winnable. However, both are away games and anyone would tell you there have been no gimmes this season on the road, even for moneyed Man City and Chelsea (Mourinho should have sent Easter gifts to MacGregor and Begovic for gifting Chelsea 4 points which might otherwise have reopened the title race).

Let me start with the FA Cup fixture at Reading, though it takes place later, because I haven’t seen Reading play since their brief excursion into the Premier League several seasons ago. It is a cup game and they don’t have a Champions League spot to chase. This could easily be the game the Gunners look past, with Chelsea looming as the next fixture – perfect recipe for a disaster. Can the Gunners show the same concentration they displayed against United in the previous round?

Scrolling back to the game against Burnley, it brings back uncomfortable memories of a game from a few seasons ago. The Gunners were on a streak that had, if the deteriorating gray cells recall correctly, brought them into contention for the title. Relegation-threatened Wigan were visiting the Emirates. Even more eerily, they had taken points from the top clubs while floundering against lesser opposition. Moses parted the Arsenal defensive line for two goals within the first ten minutes. The Gunners lost the game and fell back into the all too familiar struggle for a CL spot; Moses earned himself a shot with Chelsea.

Of course, you might be thinking “His gray cells really have had it. It wasn’t a few seasons ago, it was last season. It wasn’t Wigan, it was Hull City and it wasn’t the league, it was the FA Cup”. Well, thank you for rubbing salt in my wounds. If that weren’t enough, Burnley are one of the infamous “B” teams. For the uninitiated, I wrote a piece a while ago about how often we come a cropper against teams whose names begin with B, often in games where we were the overwhelming favorites.

Having dispensed with the superstitious origins of my apprehensions, let us look at what could transpire on the field. The two goals down in the first ten minutes phenomenon isn’t due to voodoo. When the Gunners feel confident, they start really fast with good possession and a high press in the opponent’s half. Typically, they miss a scoring opportunity, get hit on the break with a solitary defender up against two – the opponents score. They then somehow seem to think the recipe calls for a repeat and they go two down.

I have a feeling, if you walked into the Arsenal dressing room, you would see a huge poster over the entrance with the words “Twice bitten, once shy”. Given the current streak and the flattering demolition of Liverpool, unfortunately, I expect them to come out with the same reckless abandon. Wenger will likely go with a backline of Monreal, Koscielny (or Paulista if Koscielny is still injured), Mertesacker and Bellerin.

Bellerin loves to push up into attack and very well I might add. When the opponents get the ball, he runs back rather centrally, within the line that would extend lengthwise from the 25-yard box. He pulls even further inwards if the opponents are moving up the opposite side. This leaves an ocean of space on the flank. If you have watched Burnley, their counter-attack begins with a long ball across to Ashley Barnes, who positions himself precisely in this open area. He would have time for a cup of tea while he decides where to place his pass for Danny Ings to finish.

Arsenal will control possession and control the midfield. Much is going to depend on Francis Coquelin. If he can keep his head while all others around him are likely losing theirs, he can hold himself deeper and at least break up any counter-attack. The other critical person will be Mertesacker – he needs to hang back; that is when the Arsenal defence has been at its best.

At the attacking end, I hope the Gunners have learned from their success and start taking shots from around the top of the box. If they could get some runners trailing down the centre when Wellbeck, Bellerin or Monreal go to the end line, they could score a few and make a statement.

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