Arsenal’s relationship with Burnley and Sean Dyche is not particularly pretty. The Clarets have taken many points off the Gunners at crucial times but after the sacking of the manager, Dyche, plenty could be about to change.
Burnley announced the sacking of Dyche who had been at the club for ten years in the wake of a crushing defeat to Norwich City in the relegation fight. Arsenal and their players face several consequences of Dyche’s removal due to the potential relegation and survival implications for the Lancashire club.
Arsenal managed to take all three points at Turf Moor but were unable to break through the stubborn Burnley defence at the Emirates, costing them two points in the top-four race. Sean Dyche has found ways to frustrate Arsenal with the Gunners winning just once in their previous five meetings.
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Whoever comes into to replace Dyche will hope to repeat this. Although, with such upheaval happening with just eight games to secure their Premier League status, many feel this switch could have a more negative effect on their survival hopes.
Burnley going down would be a welcome relief to Arsenal, whose trips to Turf Moor have not always been fruitful. In fact, it is a trip that is dreaded by many, with two of the last three away matches ending with the points being shared.
The second impact, also dependent upon Burnley’s drop to the Championship, would have a more direct effect on Aaron Ramsdale. Ramsdale made his England senior debut this season after impressing having made the switch from Sheffield United in the summer.
Burnley’s Nick Pope has been a favourite of Gareth Southgate and played the full 90 minutes in the 3-0 win over Ivory Coast in England’s most recent fixture. Dropping to the second tier, however, would surely put Ramsdale ahead of Pope in the queue competing at the higher level.
Unless of course Pope, like many of his teammates may choose to, leaves. In which case a potential destination would also impact Arsenal. Pope was linked to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer as a possible replacement for Hugo Lloris.
The France international has since signed an extension with the club. Although Pope will know if he can usurp Lloris in the Tottenham team his chances of beating Ramsdale and Jordan Pickford to the England No. 1 jersey would increase significantly. Even just playing in Europe could help his cause.
Finally, however, Arsenal will be hoping from a competitive standpoint that the switch of coaches will be for the betterment of Burnley. Having already played the Clarets twice, they will watch on as Burnley are set to play their European qualification rivals.
Burnley travel to West Ham on Sunday before another trip to London to face Tottenham on May 15. Burnley managed to earn a draw against West Ham at home in December before beating Spurs 1-0 at home in February.
With Dyche at the helm for both games, perhaps this is the worst possible thing that could have happened. The pedigree he had to take points off the London sides is now gone. The Gunners can only pray that his replacement is equally effective. It could have massive ramifications in the race for the European places.
