Feature

#ARSBUR: Five things we noticed

Ceballos

Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired us to a 2-1 win over Burnley on Saturday, ensuring we've secured six points from our opening two Premier League fixtures for the first time since 2009/10. 

But what were they key talking points at Emirates Stadium? Read on to find out... 

OH, DANI CEBALLOS

It's not hyperbole to suggest that this was arguably the best Arsenal home debut since Patrick Vieira's in 1996. On that night against Sheffield Wednesday, the relatively unknown Frenchman came on for the injured Ray Parlour and wowed Highbury with his silk and steel. Twenty-three years later it was Dani Ceballos who got the crowd on its feet and earned himself an immediate chant, to the tune of Santi Cazorla's. That's fitting because Dani brings the same artistry as Santi - ball retention, razor-sharp passing, and an array of clever touches and turns. One particular moment stood out on Saturday - a drag-back that took him away from two markers and drew a foul from an exasperated Burnley opponent. But there was substance as well as style. It was Dani who set up the winner, not with a backheel or outrageous flick but with a strong challenge to win the ball and feed Aubameyang. It capped a fantastic all-round display; what a way to win over the Arsenal fans.

Ceballos

PEPE PROMISE

To put Dani's debut in perspective, it even put our record signing in the shade. But make no mistake, Pepe deserves his fair share of credit for the three points. When he came on at half-time, we'd been pegged back and faced a proper battle against a Burnley side who were testing us every time they swung a set-piece or cross into the box. That battle was unavoidable - Sean Dyche's side never go quietly - but when we counter-attacked or built attacks with spells of possessions, we had plenty of weapons. Pepe is quick, direct, willing to take on markers, and like Ceballos he has a portfolio of turns and touches to get away from markers. A handful of storming runs down the right got us deep into Burnley territory and one nutmeg earned a gasp of approval from the home fans. Pepe, Laca, Auba... that is some front three.

Pepe

VAR LANDMARK

We saw little slice of history at Emirates Stadium on Saturday - the first VAR decision. At precisely 1.15pm, VAR confirmed that Nacho Monreal had strayed marginally offside just before crossing for Reiss Nelson to fire a finish into the roof of the net. The linesman's flag went up immediately, but Mike Dean checked with the new technology to give Reiss a glimmer of hope. To his disappointment the linesman was spot on, and it was Reiss' final involvement - he was replaced by Pepe at half-time.

VAR

DAVID THE DIRECTOR

David Luiz slotted into the back four as if he'd been an Arsenal player for years. It doesn't get much more physical than Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes, but David dug in to deal with their aerial threat alongside the fired-up Sokratis. We saw the passing range that has helped Chelsea build from the back for years, and we even got a bit of showboating as David danced with the ball deep in Burnley territory. But it was his assurance and organisational skills that stood out, as David directed traffic from the back and brought calmness to our defensive distribution.

David Luiz

A FLUID FRONT THREE

Unai Emery started with Laca through the centre, Auba on the right and Nelson on the left. It made sense - Auba gave Bayern Munich a torrid time with his pace in pre-season and Reiss has an explosive shot when he cuts in from the left. Ironically though it was Auba who used that weapon to greatest effect when he scored our winner in the second half. By then Unai had switched our top scorer to accommodate Pepe, who made regular inroads down the right. Wherever he deploys his forward players, Unai knows he has a fluid front three at his disposal this season.

Pepe, Auba, Laca