Losing games of this ilk is the absolute height of Arsenal – Burnley is cold and unwelcoming, more passionate about control of borders than of trailing legs and whose footballers specialists in the ancient English tradition of facial entry. Except Arsenal have won on every visit to Turf Moor since Burnley returned to the Premier League, and beaten them in every game at the Emirates too, so.

Quite what New Arsenal will make of today remains to be seen. Last time out, they were excellent against an admittedly disgracefully execrable Bournemouth, giving Mikel Arteta a problem: does he keep faith with maybes like Gabriel Martinelli and Joe Willock, or, more likely, does he rely on never will bes like Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Özil? He has the rest of the season to settle on method and personnel, but must decide if the circumstance – where Arsenal are and where they want to be – demands revolution or evolution.

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