Unai Emery’s personal hatred of everything I stand for has once again ruined a good Arsenal run. I’m sorry, Arsenal fans, this is mostly my fault.
We lost in the second worst possible way… a final game winner kick after some sloppy defensive work in the box. Buendia was an inspired substitute, taking aim and firing it high into the net. A terrible moment, a momentum killer, but half expected because it’s Unai and he’s Mikel Arteta’s kryptonite.
I don’t want to focus too much on the players. They have been excellent for a long time and are still at the top of the league. This Villa match was a rare afternoon where we conceded more than 1 xG and looked completely shabby in defense for most of the game.
But why are we there? Gabriel was allowed to play with Brazil while he was injured and Saliba was injured during training. That applies to Arsenal as a whole. We are still a novice club when it comes to protecting players in busy periods and the same list of problems is coming our way again.
Arteta shrugs and points to the fixture list, but tells everyone at the same press conference that he still has training to decide on the player’s fitness. He is his own worst enemy.
The starting 11 was basically all it could be. We had a midfield duo, Declan and Zubi, who have been destroyed in the last two weeks. Our game is built on strength and explosiveness and if we lack it, teams can attack us.
That said, it wasn’t the entirety of the problems against Villa. In the final third we struggled and were sloppy in defense. Matty Cash’s first goal was an otherworldly one, but Eze fell asleep and gave him a free goal.
The goal in the last minute was a melee of players but we didn’t clear our lines and let’s be brutally honest, Madueke needs to make a better decision as Declan frees him at the back post. A shot that hits the side netting is not of quality. He should be good enough to put that in front of goal, like Saka would. The man is a good player, but the rawness in games like this is all too apparent.
Arteta did try to change the game early. He made two subs on half-time, drawing the terribly ineffective Eze from the left wing and ripping off Merino, who was undoubtedly gassed after all those minutes.
Trossard and Gyokeres battled it out and the Belgian winger continued his outrageous form with a simple finish at the back post.
Viktor Gyokeres came back from injury, but he was terrible. His runs were bad. As usual, he was overpowered. He didn’t create a chance or a shot. He lost the ball five times. Some are coming to the realization that we don’t have a top player here. Some hope that more will follow. I’m not sure there will be more to come. He has been like that all season apart from 45 minutes against Burnley. Too bad you can’t play against promoted teams every week. In the Premier League, this man has no superpowers and it now seems that the Premier League defenders are the size of him.
The only bright spark of the afternoon for me was Martin Odegaard. He created three chances, had three shots and did a lot of defensive work. There are complaints that he holds the ball too long, and I agree, but he will become sharper as he gets fitter. This is my point with Big Vik. Odegaard immediately shows signs of life. Big Vik, who was taken over by Merino, showed nothing despite being fit for two weeks. I can’t wait to see Kai Havertz in the mixer again and even Gabriel Jesus is preferable.
So where are we going? Some Arsenal fans need to pull themselves together. The weak knees are embarrassing to see. I have never seen so many grown men give up a season while we are at the top of two leagues at the same time. Growing up. The title race was never going to be easy and we were always going to have slip-ups, especially in December.
The job that needs to be done varies heavily in the Champions League. Smack Wolves and Everton. Then make some tough choices in the League Cup semi-final on the 23rd.
We need to see a nasty reaction to this result and do what title winners do when they drop unexpected points. Brutalize the rest of the season.
Okay, that wraps me up for today. See you in the comments. X
#BEATEN #EMERY #DEATH #LEARNED