After a narrow loss to West Ham last time out, Villa welcomed in-form Arsenal to the Second City.
Mikel Arteta’s side had suffered defeat at the hands of Liverpool in midweek but their blistering record of nine wins in their last twelve games showed a marked improvement from last season’s mediocrity.
Both Villa’s defeat at the London Stadium and Arsenal’s reverse at home to Liverpool had been gruelling encounters and had left the two sides missing a couple of first teamers for the final match before the international break.
Villa were without Lucas Digne who felt a niggle in his hamstring last time out, whilst Steven Gerrard revealed that Danny Ings and Calum Chambers had also experienced minor injuries throughout the week, but the pair were fit enough for the bench. Versatile veteran Ashley Young came in at left-back, whilst Emi Buendia and Ezri Konsa also returned to the starting eleven.
Arteta, who was extremely critical of his side’s workload in the week, was unable to name Aaron Ramsdale and Gabriel Martinelli through injury and illness respectively. In came Bernd Leno and Emile Smith-Rowe in their place.
In the week there had been much talk of the potential mismatch of the young bag of tricks that is Bukayo Saka and the elder statesman Ashley Young, and from the off it was clear that Arsenal had identified this as an avenue for success.
First, the England international burned past Villa’s left sided defender but after it fell kindly to Smith-Rowe a wayward finish saw the ball land in the North Stand. Then, just minutes later, Saka jinked outside and in before sending a teasing cross into the box. Konsa had to make contact but would not have expected the ball to strike him in a such an uncompromising part of his anatomy. Emi Martinez showed his exceptional reflexes to spare his teammates blushes.
It was little surprise then when the bright young talent Saka broke the deadlock on the half hour mark. Villa would have been disappointed with the circumstances, as Arsenal’s number seven went over under a challenge from Young, where any significant contact was difficult to spot. Nevertheless, the home side had multiple opportunities to clear after Cedric had put in a cross. Neither Jacob Ramsey or Buendia could get a comprehensive enough contact on the ball, and Saka finished cleverly through the crowd from the edge of the box.
From the first whistle there had been the undertones of an ill-tempered game, and the goal seemed to bring the tensions to the boil. Within minutes a Tyrone Mings tackle sparked a fracas in the middle of the pitch. The Villa skipper won the ball with a firm but fair challenge, although his follow through took him into his England colleague Saka who was charging in. The Arsenal team, who have made a habit of surrounding referees, rushed towards Andy Madley, whilst Saka rolled in agony on the ground. Arteta protested furiously on the sideline. The referee brandished a yellow card, and for most neutrals that in itself would have been harsh, whilst McGinn was the only player reprimanded for the flare-up. Perhaps unsurprisingly, moments later the winger who had tried to get his international teammate sent-off was sprinting down the wing again.
I do have sympathy for Saka, and to an extent the man who had been linked with Villa last summer Emile Smith-Rowe too. They are talented young players who are swift-footed, diminutive and play with a composed sense of self-confidence. Throughout a season, they receive plenty of rough treatment, and in this era of below-par refereeing, you often don’t get anything for being honest. It is little surprise then, that the pair have learned to milk any challenges, unfair or otherwise. We saw it with our former captain Jack Grealish, yes he does make the most of situations, but players do set out to stop the maverick kind by any means possible.
Villa are perhaps missing that kind of cynicism in their team right now, as with a bit more gamesmanship, persistent foulers like Thomas Partey would have been booked far earlier in proceedings than was the case.
Half-time soon arrived with Villa deservedly behind. It was one of the poorer halves of Villa’s season and the side had only conjured up two touches in the away side’s penalty area. Villa have become associated with slow starts to matches, but even for their standard, this had been a timid opening gambit from the boys in claret and blue.
The second half saw an improvement from Gerrard’s side, although any improvement would not have proved too difficult after the first 45. An even game finally broke out, although Arsenal still produced the higher quality chances and Villa’s meandering build-up play allowed the Gunners to keep their opponents at arms reach for large periods.
Whilst Saka’s influence diminished as Ashley Young finally got to grips with the task at hand, the technically gifted duo of Martin Ødegaard and Smith-Rowe began to trouble Villa with their intelligent movement, driving running and penetrative passes.
Villa’s creative stars, on the other hand, struggled to sparkle. Ramsey, Coutinho and Buendia looked frustrated as Villa played slow, methodical football, or at times went long searching for the hard-working Ollie Watkins. The former Brentford man likes to turn defenders, to run at them, or in behind them, and to pick up spaces in between full-back and centre half. But on Saturday the ball was launched up to his chest far too often and Villa could not get the players around him to trouble a well-drilled Gunners backline.
The home side upped the tempo with the introduction of Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore, as Villa finally began to play with a bit of swagger and purpose. But Arsenal are no longer the light touch they once were, and with high-profile exits in recent transfer windows, Arteta now has a squad of intelligent and hard-working players who are all-in on his process and methods. The visitors stood tall to repel Aston Villa’s late thrust.
With the final act of the day’s proceedings, Gerrard’s team landed their only punch of note on their opponents. A fiercely struck Coutinho free-kick was Villa’s only shot on target in the whole afternoon. The back-up goalkeeper Bernd Leno was at full stretch to make the stop. Andy Madley’s whistle soon followed as the Gunners continued their spectacular run of form, where they have looked especially formidable away from the Emirates Stadium.
Whilst there were a lot of positives to take from last weekend’s match with West Ham, Saturday’s display did not seem to offer quite as many glimmers of light. Steven Gerrard echoed this sentiment in his post-match interview as, for the first time as Villa gaffer, he lost his cool with BT Sport interviewer Des Kelly the man on the receiving end of the tirade. He is not the first to portray such obvious annoyance at Kelly’s line of questioning, and the journalist has been widely criticised for his at-times provocative and stating-the-obvious style of interviewing. It felt, however, that Gerrard’s grievances with his players, and possibly his own tactics on the day too, were taken out on the wrong source.
For Arsenal, it seems the club has finally turned an almighty corner and that for the first time since Arsene Wenger left four years ago, they are a well-coached side who pose a real threat to the Champions League places, and Chelsea may be watching their backs soon too. Clubs like Manchester United could learn a thing or two from the patience and trust that has been shown to a gifted young coach such as Arteta, as he has carefully and ruthlessly moulded his squad, often in the face of derision from rival fans and pundits alike.
There is no shame in losing to Arsenal, but the manner of defeat, as Villa looked laboured and lethargic until the final exchanges, will have left Villa fans feeling seriously underwhelmed.
But with patience and backing, Villa will become more consistent and Gerrard will be able to build a team in his own image, just as his former Merseyside rival Arteta has done in North London. Our supremely gifted youngsters, such as Jacob Ramsey, will find their feet and play with the consistency of players like Saka and Smith-Rowe. It is not long ago, after all, that the former was trying to forge his way as a left-back, whilst the latter was 18th in the Championship with Huddersfield.
The personnel will no doubt change over the summer too. The key message in Gerrard’s full-time musings was that there are a couple of players who do not have the ‘belief’ in the system, their teammates or themselves. Players who are not fully committed to Gerrard’s long-term vision will be shifted out in the summer, whilst replacements who fit the system and have that desire to make it work will be recruited.
In the final week’s of the season then, this group of players will be playing for their futures at the club, as Gerrard decides which players are with him for the long haul and which are not. Whilst finishing in the top half remains an imperative objective, and ending the season above both Midlands rivals Wolves and Leicester would be an unlikely bonus, in truth the run-in will be crucial for players on the outskirts of the team to show why they deserve to be a regular starter, and for the regular starters to prove why they should be in and around the first eleven next year too.
Over the international break, Gerrard and his trusty team of assistants will be well and truly laying the foundations for a European push next term. With Marvelous Nakamba and Lucas Digne likely to be back sometime in April and if Villa’s internationals manage to avoid injury, the manager could have a full complement of players to choose from for the first time in his reign. We will start to get an idea between now and the final day at the Etihad of what the future holds, which players will be there next year, and which players will be searching for a new employer when the window opens in June.
And what better game to prove to the coaching team that you are ready for the challenge than a fixture away at an extremely hostile Molineux. The Old Gold will be without their suspended starman Raul Jimenez, whilst they wait for a prognosis on a handful of others and Villa will be looking to reel Bruno Lage’s men in.
Saturday’s loss is yet another minor setback, but Arsenal have been a great case in point in recent years. When you are building towards a long-term vision, there will inevitably be blips along the way. And with the side well-placed in midtable with little jeopardy for the remainder of the campaign, it is better to get the bad performances out of the way now. We will see a better, more consistent Villa side next year, and hopefully displays like the one against Arsenal will be increasingly sparse.
Joey.
PLAYER RATINGS
UTV PODCAST | LATEST NEWS
Check out the latest news from the UTV Podcast camp.
Remember, this is a channel built by fans for the fans. It’s a platform for anyone to come on and have their say – if it’s joining us on a Fan Reaction show or getting involved in our written work like Fan Reports, Fan Stories, Player Focus and the popular Player Ratings or have your question answered on our Preview shows – it is open to all.
It’s a super chilled platform, so drop us a message or use our contact page.
FACEBOOK | UTV PODCAST AN ASTON VILLA BLOG
Tap the icon button to join our Facebook page for instant notifications of all the website releases.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook and Twitter readers, click the respective icon below to follow our utvpodcast social media accounts.
In association with #HerGameToo
#Hergame Too is a campaign set up to raise awareness for the sexism that is prevalent in football, as well as supporting, empowering, and creating opportunities for females involved in the game. The #HerGameToo team are made up of twelve football fans that represent an array of teams across the country, including some that work in the industry who have experienced some sexism in their everyday work. They actively encourage people to speak out about their experiences, whether it be to #HerGameToo, friends or family, or the football clubs involved. We must acknowledge that football has come a long way from the issues that existed historically, however there is still a long way to go.
#HerGameToo are doing great work on understanding and removing misogyny in the men’s game, and are continuing to develop their campaign to make it the most inclusive and accessible it can be. Elevating hard-hitting stories, data and new voices is helping to spread their message loud and clear.
If you would like to show your support for #HerGameToo, you can help by calling out any misogynistic comments you hear or see and give them a follow on any of their socials.
W: http://hergametoo.co.uk T: @HerGameToo I: @HerGameToo F: @HerGameToo
One Response
I was heartened to listen to Luke Robinson on the latest UTV podcast, call the game out for what it was. Too many limp performances where we lacked the courage to take the game to Arsenal.
The midfield is clearly a source of huge concern, where the balance is totally out of kilter, playing 3 offensive minded players, when a seasoned defensive midfielder is clearly required….its gone on for so long now, its cemented in our DNA…soft underbelly.
We all want to be positive, but this obvious flaw in our make up, is taking its toll on the rest of the team….It has to be addressed in the summer window.
Comments are closed.