What does the draw against Burnley mean for Arsenal's top-four hopes?



What does the draw against Burnley mean for Arsenal's top-four hopes?

By Jonny Bray
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side has had far from a great start to 2022.
After a great end to 2021, The Gunners have gone almost an entire month without a win in all competitions, and some fans and pundits are becoming increasingly concerned about our top four chances this season.
The 0-0 draw against Burnley was the latest knock to our chances, leaving us in sixth, two points behind Manchester United in fourth place.
The inconsistent form of the teams around us seems to have offered Arteta a lifeline.
And if we add to the squad this January, there is no telling where this team could end up.
So, what does the draw against Burnley mean for Arsenal's top-four hopes?

Why was Burnley such a big blow?

The result against Burnley was particularly disappointing because they're at one of their lowest points since being promoted.
They've just sold their star striker; they're bottom of the league, and a chaotic December calendar has left their ageing squad with a host of games in hand over the next few months.
On top of that, Arsenal have impressed against sides below them this season and have only really been troubled by the other established 'top six' sides.
Arteta would have expected a win to end a poor run of form.
But now, it feels like that dark cloud that so often engulfs this club could be returning.
I hope fans stick to their guns, back Arteta and acknowledge that there are improvements on and off the pitch.
But when you throw away games like we did yesterday, it's easy to see why some fans would become frustrated.

How is the race for the top four shaping up?

I would still argue that the top four is in our hands.
We have a game in hand on United and two on West Ham.
But the worrying thing is that we'd want to be in good form heading into a busy February.
United seem to be a bit of a mess under Ralf Rangnick but have the star players needed to dig them out of dodgy situations.
West Ham are still flying high under David Moyes, but do they have the squad to make it into the Champions League?
They've now lost two on the bounce and have troubles of their own, but in Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio they have the league's two most underrated forwards.
Spurs are still in contention, but they also seem to be in limbo under Antonio Conte.
His future is unclear, he seems unlikely to get the funds he wants and needs to turn the club around, but he's dragging Tottenham to good results anyway.

Conclusion

Despite an atrocious January, Arsenal still has a great chance to qualify for the Champions League.
Fortunately, two of our poor results in January came in the EFL Cup and hopefully, we will be stronger for the experience.
The draw against Burnley was very disappointing and has undoubtedly boosted the morale of United, Spurs and West Ham, who would have had a lot to do if we'd performed to our best this month.
But we're still in with an excellent chance, and Arteta should still have our full backing.
Photo Credit: Getty Images

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