Arsenal 0-1 Burnley: 5 talking points as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang own goal seals the game | Premier League 2020-21

#3 Arsenal see second straight red in four Premier League games

Granit Xhaka was shown a red in the second half

Just when things were going well for Arsenal, Granit Xhaka let his team down by losing his cool against Ashley Westwood. Initially, referee Graham Scott pulled out a yellow card for the Swiss international's challenge on his opponent.

However, following the Video Assistant Referee's review of the incident, it clearly showed that Xhaka had grabbed Westwood by his throat. It was obvious that the midfielder has to be sent off for violent conduct.

Similar to the challenge made by Pepe a couple of weeks ago, Xhaka failed to control his frustration on the pitch. He was booed off by the fans at the Emirates Stadium and has again lost the trust of his manager as well as the Arsenal faithful.

Arsenal nearly got into trouble minutes later, with Mohamed Elneny close to being sent off. Fortunately, the Egyptian received a yellow and remained on the field.

Since Arteta took over, the Gunners have received six red cards, double that of any side in the same period.

Granit Xhaka has now received 40 cards in the Premier League since joining Arsenal:🟨 37 yellows🟥 3 redOriol Romeu is the only player with more in total in that time. pic.twitter.com/N8QrLC3f4s

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 13, 2020

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#2 Arsenal's defensive line-up backfires

Burnley recorded a victory to leave the relegation zone

Against a relegation team like Burnley, Arteta named Elneny and Xhaka in the midfield. Both are defensive midfielders and hardly have any clue of how to create chances for the Arsenal forwards.

In the end, one of them was sent off in the second half, and the second almost received his marching orders too. Ultimately, Arteta had to bring on Dani Ceballos and Eddie Nketiah in hopes of shaking things up.

Yet, his decision came too late, and there were no game-changers on the Arsenal bench. Without any creative midfielder, all the action had to go through the wings but the crosses put in were not good enough for any result.

Evidently, the defensive midfield pairing of Xhaka and Elneny did not work and should not be replicated.

Five Premier League teams welcomed fans back this weekend.Arsenal were the only club who lost. pic.twitter.com/82aBcxskph

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 13, 2020

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#1 Mikel Arteta's position under threat

Mikel Arteta hasn't shown that he can lead Arsenal to the UEFA Champions League

Arsenal may very soon sack Arteta if their poor form in the Premier League persists. When the manager took over in December last season, things went smoothly as the players progressed and had confidence in him.

A year on, things have stagnated and changed drastically. Far from the looks of FA champions, Arsenal have fallen way behind the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Now, they cannot even overcome Burnley or Wolverhampton Wanderers while playing at home.

The disappointing news is that there are harder fixtures around the corner as Arsenal host Southampton on Wednesday evening before heading to Goodison Park.

Having not won their last four home matches, it could soon go up to five considering the fact that the Saints are enjoying a good run this season.

Arteta has never looked so vulnerable but with unfavourable results in recent weeks, his time at Arsenal may soon be coming to an end.