John McGinn’s 7th minute strike was enough to help Aston Villa to victory last night as Unai Emery’s side extended their home winning run in the Premier League to a record 15 games.
This result comes just days after the triumph over Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning Manchester City and Villa now sit comfortably within the top four of the division.
Join Liam and George as they discuss some of the major talking points from yesterday’s win over the Gunners…
Words by: Liam Davies
A DEFENSIVE MASTERCLASS
“You don’t scare us,” was Diego Carlos’ war-cry to the Gunners just hours before the Brazilian put in a man of the match performance against the league leaders in a game where the number three was dominant, won most of his duels (6 out of 8) and kept Arsenal’s offensive firepower at bay to earn consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League.
Then you consider his partner at the back, Pau Torres – what a truly unbelievable signing he has been! The Spaniard is the focal point of Unai Emery’s system; his characteristics make the former Villarreal man the perfect modern day centre-half. The 26-year-old’s ability to break the lines with his passing but also demonstrate his physical and defensive capabilities make the £28 million or so transfer fee look like a bargain.
The pair look to be an astute duo at the back and are quickly becoming a partnership that Emery can rely and depend upon, week after week. The two compliment each other perfectly in and out of possession and, alongside the full-backs, execute the offside trap to a tee.
It’s worth discussing both Ezri Konsa and Lucas Digne’s recent performances too.
Konsa, playing in a somewhat unfamiliar right-back role, has looked assured both on and off the ball in recent weeks, demonstrating the 26-year-old’s adaptability, footballing IQ and tactical nous – you can see why Emery is so fond of him.
The things that strikes me with Konsa is both his consistency and his ability to defend one-on-one. No matter who is facing up the former Brentford man, I’ll always trust our number four to turnover possession one way or another. In the space of the week, Konsa has dealt with the likes of Phil Foden and Gabriel Martinelli, contributing to consecutive clean sheets, and put in THAT tackle against Bournemouth to deny Justin Kluivert through on goal. What a player.
Lucas Digne’s form is nothing to be sniffed at either. The Frenchman somewhat fell out of favour when Àlex Moreno arrived at the club in January but, due to the Spaniard’s injury, has had a large part to play this term and he has been terrific. Bukayo Saka is one of the greatest wingers in world football and Digne dealt with the Arsenal number seven superbly last night. Fantastique!
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DIGGING IN DEEP
It goes without saying that last night’s game wasn’t as perfect as Wednesday’s victory over Manchester City. The players looked tired and leggy at stages and they really had to dig in deep to overcome the league leaders. Despite being on the wrong end of most of the match’s statistics, the Villans were able to hold on to McGinn’s early strike and claim a result that puts Emery’s men two points off the top of the league.
By no means did Villa struggle last night, but there were certainly some cagey moments due to the one goal cushion that the Villans’ held for most of the game. Arsenal managed 12 shots (five on target) and had 61% of the possession; the majority of it coming in the second half as Arteta’s side frequently found themselves threatening the ‘best in the world’ Emiliano Martínez’s goal.
Dibu, showing exactly why he’s considered such an elite ‘keeper, managed a goal prevention of 0.81 (according to SofaScore) which is a statistic that takes into account the quality and position of the shot faced, whereby the Argentine crucially produced three saves from inside his 18-yard box. Additionally, the 31-year-old managed to claim three crosses inside his area to help kill the game off in the closing stages.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his captain Martin Ødegaard both claimed that the North-London outfit were the better side on the day, with Arteta going as far to say the Gunners ‘deserved more’ after their performance. I’m sure he would’ve had a good view from the stands.
Villa’s ability to soak up pressure and dig in deep to create chances and hold onto leads is becoming a really attractive trait and the rest of the league are starting to realise just how powerful this team is. Defeating two of the best teams in Europe is no easy feat and such results beg the question – could Aston Villa be 2023/24 Premier League title challengers?
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A CAPTAIN’S PERFORMANCE
John McGinn is the nucleus of this Aston Villa team. The Scotsman’s hard-work and determination epitomises exactly what Unai Emery wants from his players; the number seven sets the perfect precedent for the rest of the team on the pitch, especially during trying times in games.
Villa’s captain has played approximately 314 minutes in the space of ten days – that’s an extensive amount of football. The 29-year-old is known for his relentlessness; his engine; his energy on the pitch, but even he looked exhausted in that second-half last night. Do you think that stopped him, however? Did it heck.
The former Hibs midfielder ran himself into the ground at Villa Park yesterday as he did against Manchester City just four days before. It’s a mind over body scenario: McGinn’s passion, willingness and desire to win overcame the physical fragilities and fatigue to carry him through that 90 minutes.
And ‘Meatball’ is just one of many players who have adopted this ‘all-in’ attitude since the arrival of Unai Emery last year. Players have bought into the ideologies and principles of the Basque boss and truly believe in the project, meaning they’ll give everything for the cause.
Let’s not forget the goal either. It wasn’t bad, was it? In fact, it was magnificent.
Whilst you can praise Emery’s side for their tirelessness and ability to dig in, they play some really attractive football at times too and this goal against the Gunners was no different: a seamless, eloquent move from back to front which ended in a swivel and finish from captain John McGinn. It was truly poetry in motion; a goal worthy of winning any football match.
And with that, I think the squad have earned a rest.
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