A very frustrating day for Arsenal yesterday as their title credentials took a serious hit following a damaging 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa. Goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins were the daggers to the hearts of fans who had gone into the game knowing they could go three points clear of Liverpool after they lost to Crystal Palace.
Arsenal now go to Germany hoping to keep their Champions League hopes alive by facing Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena. A clash which could have serious momentum-building potential or the chance to spark headlines questioning whether the season could end prematurely.
There were plenty of talking points from the game and whilst the overwhelming feeling is one of negativity, there were some lights in the darkness to highlight. Whilst also assessing where the side now go from here.
Successes
Martin Odegaard
That kick to the chest in the second half seemed to end his game and Arsenal’s hopes of a goal. The Norwegian ran things in the first half and how they didn’t manage to score will be a mystery for the ages.
Gemma Atkinson discusses childcare while Gorka works away
His touches and movement throughout were mesmerising, the spins and passes – in particular the through ball to Bukayo Saka in the first half – but none of it led to anything more than half chances. Hopefully, he is indeed fine for the trip to Germany because his team will need him, big time.
It’s not over
Where last season, defeats to Brighton and Nottingham Forest after dropped points to West Ham and Southampton saw the title race end with little more than a fizzle, with six games left the Gunners are two points behind the league leaders but are now reliant on them to drop points.
Arsenal go to Wolves and host Chelsea before City play their next game so it could open up a four-point gap before their title rivals play again. City’s remaining games include trips to Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham which if navigated frankly deserve a league medal whilst the Gunners also go to Spurs but travel to Wolves next before hosting Chelsea with a date at Old Trafford still to come.
Frustrations
Make sense of it
Having been so good throughout 2024, it was a performance that seemed completely alien to what we’ve come to expect, the second half in particular. There was a naivety about it, as loose balls and defensive mistakes peppered the display.
At half-time, the feeling was one of when the goal would come because Arsenal created so much in the first period. But as the game progressed, Villa got more and more dangerous and managed to unsettle the crowd by breaking up any momentum that could be built from individual actions.
Time wasting from goal kicks or players going to ground was a feature of Porto’s attempts to unsettle the Gunners and it worked in that game too. There appears something of a blueprint of how to rile Arsenal and clubs like Villa have used it to their advantage.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
I have been afraid for some time that the Ukrainian was getting something of the Arsenal fan treatment that can lead to an element of scapegoating. Take the Bayern Munich performance, initial reactions were not positive but any re-watch reveals just how effective he was.
First half here again he was good and provided strong service to a very threatening half of football. In the second period, in the opening 10 minutes, he showed why there should have been a change but Arteta persisted and this was a mistake.
The mental impact
It leaves us with questions. Will it be different from last season when the cracks became fissures and eventually the foundations had crumbled so much it got away from Arsenal?
Does the Bayern Munich game offer a chance of redemption or could it threaten to be the final nail in the coffin? In all honesty, the team looked tired against Villa and how Arteta now manages two competitions should they make it past Bayern is then another major concern.
But there is indeed still football to play, and I look forward to it. Sitting, praying and hoping the outcome is different this time.
Source: https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/fixtures-results/mikel-arteta-serious-arsenal-fitness-28995673
