Mikel Arteta’s priorities become clear for Arsenal’s winter break

“Reunite” and “refocus” were two words Mikel Arteta used to describe what Arsenal are hoping to get out of their trip to Dubai during the two-week winter break. After the last couple of months, time away is no bad thing. If only to draw a line under their current malaise. For the first time in 27 years, Arsenal have the ignominy of failing to win their first five games in a calendar year.

Arsenal failed to beat bottom club Burnley on Sunday

That being said, perhaps those aren’t quite the areas that need to be cultivated or honed. Sunday’s draw against Burnley was many things. Infuriating for the Gunners, valiant from Sean Dyche’s side and, to be honest, bleak for the rest of us who came to this fixture for entertainment. But Arsenal’s inability to beat the team sitting bottom of the table, thus missing out on an opportunity to move into fourth, did not feel like the result of a disjointed group of players unable to focus on the matter at hand. Rather of tired bodies and minds running out of physical and creative steam

Had Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Magalhaes shown more composure with their second-half chances (an open goal and free header, respectively), Arsenal might have triumphed 2-0. It was those on the pitch who picked up their levels at about the hour mark to play at such high tempo with an extra thrust Burnley could not live with. A period, it should be noted, that was not instigated by any tweak Arteta made but encouraged by a boisterous home crowd, rallied by some impromptu cheerleading from Martin Ødegaard, recognising those efforts.

All for nothing, mind. Dropping those two points meant relinquishing the chance to occupy that last Champions League spot. They are out of both cups following defeat to