James Trafford is a confident lad, but even he may feel a sense of trepidation ahead of Burnley hosting Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend.
This encounter pits the defence that has conceded the most amount of league goals from corner-kicks this season against the team that has scored the most.
Arsenal are currently leading the way when it comes to set-piece goals, which have become a key feature in their playbook. For so much of the past 15 years, the north Londoners have been regarded as soft on set-pieces, but not these days.
Mikel Arteta’s side have scored 16 goals from set-pieces already this term with no other team in the league having scored more than 13. What’s more, eleven of those goals have come from corners.
In their demolition of West Ham United last Sunday, two of the six goals they put past Alphonse Areola came from set-pieces: William Saliba headed in Declan Rice’s corner for the first and then Gabriel forced home another delivery from the midfielder. Although not strictly a set-piece, Bukayo Saka’s penalty was another dead-ball goal.
It is no coincidence that Arsenal are thriving when it comes to making set-plays count in the opposition’s penalty area. The key positioning and clever movement that are part of all their free-kicks and corners only underline how meticulously they are planned.
Arsenal’s set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, has worked wonders; and it is often he who replaces Arteta on the edge of the technical area whenever the team have a set-play and orchestrates the moves. The joy Jover exudes when another of his stratagems reaps rewards is something to behold.
The former Brentford and Manchester City coach’s work is evidently paying off. It also plays to the strengths of the team.
Arsenal have plenty of tall players at their disposal. Defenders Gabriel, Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Ben White and forward Kai Havertz are all well over 6ft tall and are proving to be a handful at such junctures in play.
With Arsenal, Jover and Co visiting Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon, this could very well strike fear into their vulnerable opponents.
Arsenal will test a Burnley vulnerability
It has certainly been a baptism of fire for Vincent Kompany and his Burnley side on their return to the top flight. They have picked up just three league wins — the last of which came before Christmas — and they are embedded in the relegation zone, currently seven points from safety.
Defending set-pieces has proved to be one of their achilles heels. Before last weekend, Burnley had the second-highest Set-Piece Expected Goals Against measure and then went on to concede twice via such means against Liverpool.
Trafford, the Burnley goalkeeper, has, at times, come under scrutiny for his lack of presence in the box at such set-pieces, including at Anfield. But also he has not been helped by the lack of size and aerial prowess among his team-mates.
The 21-year-old arrived at the club in the summer with big expectations but was under pressure from the off as he came in to replace Arijanet Muric, who had become a fan favourite during the 2022-23 Championship-winning campaign. The price tag of £15 million also made the home crowd expectant.
Trafford, who helped England win the Under-21 European Championship in July and has aspirations of succeeding Jordan Pickford in the senior team, has certainly had a lot thrown at him. Yet as the season has progressed, there have been signs of his potential.
Burnley may have conceded the second-highest amount of league goals (50) behind only Sheffield United, but Trafford has faced the second-most amount of shots (146) and made the second-most amount of saves (98). His save percentage of 68 per cent ranks him mid-table in the division.
Kompany has also placed his faith in Trafford, whose only senior experiences prior to this season were in Sky Bet League One with Bolton Wanderers and Accrington Stanley, due to his ability to start Burnley’s possession-based attacks.
That Kompany has not deviated from his principles despite Burnley’s difficult campaign has been an emerging talking point, yet their ambition cannot be denied.
Trafford has attempted the most amount of passes for a goalkeeper in the league (1104) and only 33 per cent of those were deemed to be long passes of over 40 yards. Even though on occasion accuracy has gone awry and such playing out from the back has proved costly, Trafford is one of the most involved ‘keepers in the division (whether with ball at feet or in hands).
It feels as though this campaign, which looks set to end with Burnley dropping back down to the Championship, is one of learning experiences for both manager and his young squad. Having faced Manchester City and Liverpool in recent weeks, Arsenal now come to Lancashire — and Burnley will know what to expect.
