Arsenal are preparing to play against Burnley on Saturday afternoon, looking for their eighth win in a row in all competitions.
The Gunners are currently top of the league, and clear by four points over Bournemouth in second place, they face newly-promoted side Burnley in their next game on Saturday, and will be made big favourites, despite the Clarets winning their last two league games.
Most Read on Gooner News
Mikel Arteta‘s side come off a 2-0 win against Brighton in the Carabao Cup, but for all the positivity around Arsenal, they have also received a lot of criticism too. Many pundits and former players have been critical of Arsenal’s style of play this season, suggesting that they are too reliant on set-pieces, and are changing the way the game is played in the Premier League.
Arsenal are 17th in terms of goal-scoring chances created in open play, so the criticism is somewhat matched by the statistics, however, Arsenal remain the best team in the league based on recent form, and many Gunners fans would suggest the criticism is not necessary.
Parker says Arsenal are not reliant on set-pieces
Ahead of the game on Saturday afternoon, Burnley manager Scott Parker has responded to the criticism of Arsenal, suggesting that despite the stats, they are not reliant on set-plays, and he has hailed the job that Arteta is doing at the Emirates.
Parker said in his pre-match press conference: “I see a fluid team really, I see an unbelievably well coached team, a team that solves situations. This is definitely not a team that just relies on set plays. This is a top top team.”
Despite his praise for Arsenal, Parker does still believe that his in-form Burnley side are able to get something out of the game, despite the Gunners’ recent impressive form.
He said: “We’re going to need to be at optimum in every single facet of our game, but we’ve had some difficult fixtures, and we’ve been very very competitive, so I’d like to think again this weekend that would be our aim, whilst also having an understanding of what we’re up against.”
Click here to see Arsenal and Burnley’s latest injury news ahead of the game on Saturday.