Arsenal 4 – Villa 1. They had it coming!

I have a lot of respect for Villa and Emery. Not that long ago the only thing the fans did celebrate, ironically, was the award of a Villa corner, but now they have established themselves as a top 4-6 team. Our former manager deserves credit for achieving this.

The defeat in Birmingham earlier this month was a painful one. Arteta does not often use words like ‘revenge’ but last night’s victory had all the hallmarks of a full, bloodied one. They had it coming.

The start was tough and you could tell how much Emery had studied his former team and knew where and how he could hurt us. Declan’s absence made this a lot easier. Our boys were finding their bearings in that first half, and we rode our luck at times. But after fifteen minutes or so the Gunners took the initiative. The first half remained equal but then came a second half in which all canons were blazing. Only the need to rest players and prevent injuries kept Arsenal from making this a really big embarrassing loss for the Villains. Arteta had Emery, who really had no tactical answers at all in the second half, at his mercy; and I think if there was something like a statement in this game, it was Mikel’s half time talk and tactical adjustments which showed who is King.

Eight Observations

1. The King of defence and Set Piece is back. I don’t think we would have won this game with both Declan and Big G missing. They both are the on-field leaders that others will look up to. Having Gabriel back fully fit made a huge difference. To make Martinez flap like he did for our scrappy first goal says so much about his PRESENCE on the pitch. A monster.
2. Villa clearly love to sit deep and pounce on the rebound and counter. Nothing wrong with that at all. To crack such a team and not succumb to the pre-studied attacks from deep, all have to play with great concentration. At the start a few players were not fully focussed, and it was clear that the (unexpected?) absence of Rice let to doubt and confusion. I really liked the way Merino, Zubimendi and Odegaard then started to work together and took control.
3. Merino, in the Rice role, reminds me of the likes of Flamini, Gilberto, even Alex Song (much under valued during his time at Arsenal): he does a lot of the dirty work to allow others to shine, and he lacks any desire to be showy/flash. Love him.
4. Then there was Zubimendi. What a top quality, classy player we have in our ranks. Maybe he should play more games without Declan to show us how brilliant he really is. The goal was sweet and anything but easy, but this class act made it look like a walk in the park. Martin O will also be happy with the progress he is making after his long lay-off, and the inch-perfect assist would have made Bergkamp proud. It was the most important moment of the match.
5. Talking about class acts, Hincapie and Timber were immense on the wings. Their energy, healthy aggression and street-wisdom, supported by the hard working Leo and Bukayo, ensured that the wings were red and white all game long.
6. Then there were two unsung heroes. Gyo and Bukayo may not be on the goal or assist sheets but they were just as important as those who did, last night. A deep block needs to be bombarded and poked everywhere and constantly, only then will gaps appear that can be exploited. I like it that we are scoring four goals without Bukayo and Victor in top form. That means even more is to come. We remain unpredictable in attack with so many players carrying a threat the opponents need to reckon with. Long may it continue.
7. Leandro is having the season of his life so far. He has played with different full backs over the last few months but he just gets on with it. His mastery over the ball and awareness of space and time are a joy to watch. With a goal and assist he certainly was my player of the match.
8. The last observation is for Gabriel Jesus, of course. What a sweet goal he scored, and his devotion to his most famous namesake – who brought us renewed hope 2000 years ago – at the end of the match in front of the nation(s), was so warm and just humbling. And humble we need to remain. Yes this was a statement win, but so was our scrappy one v Everton. Bournemouth will be the next mountain to climb. OGAAT.

By TotalArsenal.