BUILD UP
Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa face Mikel Arteta’s high-flying Arsenal side next up in the Premier League, on the back of their narrow defeat in the capital against West Ham United.
Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Pablo Fornals were enough to secure the victory for the Hammers, despite a late strike from Jacob Ramsey, in what was Villa’s first defeat in four having won the three games prior to the trip to the London Stadium.
Gerrard’s men were rather stagnant in their offensive approach and struggled to advance past David Moyes’ physical defensive block throughout the game. Declan Rice and Tomáš Souček kept the likes of Philippe Coutinho quiet, but substitute Emiliano Buendía was the man that could unlock the rigid West Ham back line with a fine piece of movement and composure to set up goalscorer Jacob Ramsey in the dying embers.
Gerrard will hope his team can reignite the form and demonstrate the fine free-flowing football on display during the three game winning streak, as they face an Arsenal side that are bang in form and currently find themselves within the UEFA Champions League places in 4th.
Arteta’s Gunners have been a real force season and look to be the favourites for that final Champions League qualifying spot with three games in hand on their European-chasing rivals; Manchester United and West Ham.
The North London side have won their last five games in the Premier League, including impressive victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City. Arsenal face Liverpool on Wednesday night (after this is written) however, in what will be a tough game at home for them.
Player such as Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe are playing some immense stuff at the top end of the field for the Arsenal, and the likes of Gabriel Magalhães and ‘keeper Aaron Ramsdale have been just as impressive on the defensive side of things.
The club is soaked in history, but has struggled domestically since the departure of legendary manager Arsène Wenger back in 2018. Things certainly look to be going in the right direction after significant improvement in both performances and results this year however, and the Gunners will be a real test for the Villans this Saturday.
Can Steven Gerrard’s side re-find form and put an end to Arsenal’s incredible winning ways, or will Mikel Arteta’s men continue their recent relentlessness and brush aside Aston Villa too?
Let’s take a look at the team news on both sides heading into this one…
TEAM NEWS
Whilst coming away with no points in the recent loss against David Moyes’ West Ham, Steven Gerrard did leave the London Stadium having picked up injuries to three key players.
Lucas Digne looks to have come away with the most damage suffered, after the French full-back exiting the pitch after just 10 minutes with what looked to be a hamstring injury. The January acquisition is set to miss the next three weeks worth of action, and Ashley Young is expected to take his place on the left side of the Aston Villa defence.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz also left London in some pain, after being on the receiving end of a high-foot challenge from Manuel Lanzini in the first-half, which left the No. 6 with a bloody lip and requiring facial reconstruction at full-time. Luiz may miss the upcoming Arsenal fixture as a result, with the likes of Morgan Sanson or Tim Iroegbunam in line to take his place in midfield.
Elsewhere, defender Calum Chambers’ inclusion for this weekend’s squad is questionable having also been involved in a challenge that drew blood. Both him and Luiz finished the game however, and seem more likely than not to be named in the squad. Ezri Konsa will surely be the man to replace Chambers if the 27 year-old is deemed unfit to play.
Midfielder Marvelous Nakamba will of course miss the fixture, but news has recently emerged regarding his return, with the Zimbabwean “set to step-up his recovery” over the next couple of weeks ahead of a return at some point in April. This is very welcome news for both Steven Gerrard and the Villa faithful, with Nakamba in the form of his career under the new boss until suffering his knee injury in December during the 1-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield.
As for Arsenal, they appear to be heading into the tie with a fully fit squad, bar the exception of defender Takehiro Tomiyasu. The Japanese full-back has missed the last two months worth of action with a calf injury, but his performances prior were very impressive and he has turned into a real fan favourite at the Emirates.
Aside from Tomiyasu, Mikel Arteta will have free reign to choose from his star-studded squad ahead of Saturday’s early kick-off with Aston Villa. The likes of Ben White, Thomas Partey, Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette are all expected to feature in the Spanish boss’ starting lineup, as they look to complete the season’s double over Aston Villa.
With that being said, let’s take a closer look at this week’s opposition, and discover the reason behind Arsenal’s success this campaign…
THE OPPOSITION
Mikel Arteta has been at Arsenal now for a little over two years, and despite a shaky start at the beginning of his managerial career, with results not going his way accompanied by underwhelming performances to boot, the board stuck with Pep Guardiola’s former apprentice and to good effect, with the 40 year-old seemingly building something pretty special with the Gunners.
Arteta has foreseen a lot of change in the short space of time he has been at the club, including the removal of ‘deadwood’ and recruitment of young, ready-made footballers who will benefit the side not only now, but in years to come. Arteta’s opening statement upon his arrival at the club was the following: “I want people to take responsibility for their jobs and I want people who deliver passion and energy in the football club. Anyone who doesn’t buy into this, or that has a negative effect or whatever, is not good enough for this environment or this culture.”
In these two years, the club has let go of players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Özil and Mattéo Guendouzi who are all players that had reported ‘fallings-out’ with Arteta. The former Everton midfielder has stuck to his persona and the ambitions of the club, by eradicating players who may cause concerns and will not help to excel the club.
An interesting aspect of the current Arsenal squad is that it is so young yet possesses such an array of talent everywhere you look. Star players such as Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe are 20 and 21 years-old respectively, yet appear so accomplished and are consistent performers for the side. Ben White and his centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhães are both 24 years-old and have built a formidable partnership at the heart of the team – both carrying leadership traits you would expect from players in their late 20s/early 30s.
The recruitment team at Arsenal have been very successful over the years, with Gabriel Martinelli certainly a standout acquisition and one to watch out for on Saturday. The young Brazilian forward signed from Sãu Paulo-based side Ituano FC in 2019, and has since emerged as a rising talent within the Premier League. The 20 year-old has burst onto the scene this season, and has five goals and three assists to his name, but has demonstrated his raw ability and flair throughout the campaign, and looks set to be a real star for both Brazil and Arsenal in the future.
Martinelli has been a consistent starter in Arteta’s 4-2-3-1 system, deployed on the left side of an attack that has recently seen Martin Ødegaard, Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka sit alongside/ahead of the winger. Arsenal are renowned for playing an attacking, free-flowing style of football, and this is something Mikel Arteta has encouraged and delivered during his time. A key component of the way Arsenal play is the movement and directness of their forward line, where the pace and flair of both Saka and Martinelli are exploited to move the side up the field quickly and effectively.
Martin Odegaard’s recent form has left no room for Emile Smith-Rowe in the side, however they are both traditional ‘number 10’s’ and have played the position to a tee this season. The two have an excellent ability to carry the ball and find space between the lines of the opposition, but also work hard for the side when out of possession. You can certainly appreciate the talent of the two, and it is no wonder as to why Aston Villa tried to sign ESR last summer, especially with the significant creative loss of Jack Grealish.
The quick, expansive football Arsenal play will be a tough test for Steven Gerrard’s team, but it will be beneficial for the boss to understand the level his side is currently at when paired against one of the league’s best sides.
Arsenal have already got the better of Villa this season, with the Gunners defeating a Dean Smith Aston Villa side by three goals to one in Octobrt, thanks to contributions from Thomas Partey, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Emile Smith Rowe. Jacob Ramsey got his first senior Aston Villa goal in this affair, but the midfielder will not want a repeat of the scoreline, and the 20 year-old and his teammates will be seeking revenge heading into Saturday’s fixture.
Let’s take a look at my thoughts in what will be an incredibly difficult battle at Villa Park this weekend…
FINAL THOUGHTS
As mentioned, Arsenal will be no easy feat and I believe they provide the toughest challenge for Steven Gerrard in recent weeks. Of course West Ham United are a very tough side to face too, but I think Arsenal are a different kind of animal at the moment, and will pose more of an attacking threat then the Hammers did. Villa’s defence will need to be on top of their game come Saturday afternoon, but I feel the absence of Lucas Digne will be felt and it will be interesting to see how Ashley Young does up against the talent of Bukayo Saka on the right.
As always the midfield battle will be key, and we saw a Villa trio unmatched against the physical duo of Declan Rice and Tomáš Souček last Sunday. I think the game will be won or lost in this area of the pitch, and we need to see dominant, imposing displays from the likes of John McGinn and Douglas Luiz if are to stand a chance in the midfield. Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka are typically the two that Mikel Arteta deploys in the heart of the side, and their performances will also determine how well Arsenal fair this weekend.
Arsenal would have faced Liverpool after the time of writing this, and it will be interesting to see how they coped against the giants that are The Reds. It will be good to see Jürgen Klopp’s side defeat the Gunners and somewhat deflate the Arsenal balloon that is soaring high right now, taking a smidge of confidence out of the side. Regardless of this result however, Mikel Arteta will install belief back into his side, and have them ripe and ready for the fixture at Villa Park.
I would like to see some changes ahead of the game, and would personally introduce Emi Buendía into the fold. I feel we lacked creativity against West Ham despite the presence of Coutinho on the field, and after the little Argentine’s impact off the bench, I believe he has earned a start for this weekend. This would mean the dropping of one of either Ollie Watkins or Danny Ings, in which I would opt for Ings, purely because of the goal-scoring record Watkins has against the Gunners and the physical aspect that the No.11 carries over his forward counterpart.
Unfortunately, I can see Villa losing this tie, with Arsenal coming to B6 and taking all three points. I think we will see an improved performance from Gerrard’s men, but the quality of Arsenal on the counter will prevail and ultimately defeat us. I am opting for another 2-1 loss, with Alexandre Lacazette and Ben White to grab the goals for the visitors, and Emiliano Buendía to grab the home side’s consolation.
Regardless, I hope I am incorrect, and we see Aston Villa replicate either scoreline from last season’s fixtures against the Gunners – 1-0 at Villa Park and 0-3 at the Emirates Stadium. Come on the boys and Up the Villa!
Liam
LIAM DAVIES | UTV PODCAST
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive liamayrtondavies – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
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