After Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Wolves last weekend, all attention has now shifted to our Gunners trip to Villa Park. At Villa Park, they take on Aston Villa, who also started the new season on a high as they beat West Ham 2-1 at the London Stadium.
Last season, Villa proved to be a formidable opponent for Arsenal, beating our lads 1-0 at Villa Park and 0-2 at the Emirates Stadium. This season, it is crucial for our Gunners to finally outsmart the Villains and establish their dominance.
There is no room for complacency in the Unai Emery vs. Mikel Arteta matchup. Villa has performed well under Unai. They may have lost their “midfield engine,” Douglas Luiz, but they have made a major improvement in Amadou Onana, who scored in just six minutes after his debut.
For Arsenal to win, they must go all out. Arteta will need to perfect his tactics and field his strongest lineup. Most importantly, the Arsenal attack will have to be on top of their game; Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Martinelli will need to bury every one of Arsenal’s chances to avoid a recurrence of last season’s performance at Villa Park.
It’s fantastic that the trip to Villa Park is early in the season; if Arsenal goes there with the proper attitude, they can achieve a dominant win that will set them up for the rest of the season. I know we’ll just receive three points for the win, but that isn’t enough for me; I want us to break their morale and leave them so crushed that they fear playing Arsenal.
In any case, an early six-pointer against Villa will be crucial, demonstrating how much Arteta’s boys have improved for another PL title chase. And the Gooners will know if the fine margins that cost their team the league by a mere 2 points have been closed.
COYG!
Sam P
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yes we would all like that, especially with Spurs and Man C around the corner, good form and high spirits to get us off to a flying start to the season
That loss at the Emirates killed me. We could have won the Premier League title I think was it not for that loss
If Arteta still can’t beat Emery after losing against Aston Villa twice, I think Arteta isn’t a prodigious manager
So GAI, MA failed to beat city115 in the league until last season, when he got four out of six points and beat them in the CS.
Does that not make him a prodigious manager when comparing Pep to Unai?
As for beating villa, surely beating them at any time during the season is a must and a statement of intent?
Arteta hasn’t become a prodigious one because he failed to beat Guardiola and Man City in EPL
Arteta has not become a prodigious manager (yet) because he has not won a trophy with his hand picked squad.
The FA Cup was with Wenger/Emery players, the vast majority of which are long gone.
So Durand, I take it you wouldn’t consider Wenger a prodigious manager untill 2014, as that was when he first won a trophy with his hand picked squad ?
uh… he beat them last season at home in EPL !!
@Gai, Let’s not make a big deal losing to Emery twice last year. I think it’s one of. Let’s not forget season before we beat them twice with Emery as the manager..2:1 H & 2:4 A
I see a win for our Boys and at most a draw they won’t lose the game. No worry at all.
Loosing to aston villa this season doesn’t mean cannot win the league and Arteta is not a top manager.
Forest beating man city last campaign did nothing to Pep supremacy and city epl win . Understood! !!!
Absolutely Correct. I’m Villa, so apart from Saturday), I want Arsenal to win every other match. My theory being, I don’t think we can finish above you, therefore every point you take off teams just below us, benefits us. Also, you can’t judge a season after 2 games. City usually start slowly, but they’ll be there abouts in may. If you lose a battle, stay in the war and judge at squeaky bum time. Good Luck except saturday
Villa were quite impressive against West Ham. They mixed physicality with technicality in good proportion to really deserve their victory
Arsenal will have to be at the very best to subdue Villa. I am confident that if the team put in their utmost best, we’d be fine.
Emery has done a terrific job at Villa. Bottom four to top four in a short space of time with relatively little money spent – sounds pretty good to me.
In his career as coach, he’s been far more successful than Arteta of course, albeit he’s some ten years older. However, you can’t really compare the two because Arsenal is Arteta’s first coaching position and Emery has been around the block, shall we say, a few times now.
The Villa game will be interesting because both teams are “top four”, both have had a winning start to 2024-25 and as we know, unlike Wolves, Arsenal haven’t had it all their own way against Villa in recent years.
With the likes of City, Liverpool and Sp*rs all at home over next weekend, Arsenal really needs to get the three points. I think we may, but it will almost certainly be a far tougher test than last Saturday.
A 1-0 win will do me. We dont need a statement, just 3 points.
True Reggie. It’s the points that count on the league table not statements.
👍
Going to be an interesting match.