Aston Villa – Arsenal: Wayward Watkins; Trossard Takeoff (0-2)

Arsenal’s assault to be the best of the English elite has restarted. And if it is to be successful, Mikel Arteta might need to step out of the shadows that others have cast over his time in the dugout. In a renewal of the battle of the Basques, lady luck presented her backing on the way to a symbolic success over his predecessor, whose men must command respect in their own right.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

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Is third time the charm? Arsenal must manage the anguish of being the runners up to Manchester City for a second successive season. Most viewers cannot contest the continuity that has come from Mikel Arteta’s reign: a haul of 89 points is the second highest from their stint in the Premier League. One of his few regrets from the last twelve months would have been the double defeat to their hosts, whose current manager periodically reminds the club of what might have been in a not too distant timeline.

A tumultuous term in North London left Unai Emery’s stature in disarray. But his occasional returns speak volumes of his resilience. On the way to a fourth Europa League victory at Villarreal, he beat his old employers. And as Aston Villa vanquished Arsenal in a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium (the final dropped points of their opponents’ campaign) they went on to finish in the top four for the first time in 18 years. A third triumph on the spin in this fixture would indicate it was no mere accident.

Emery selected all the same men that overcame West Ham United at the London Stadium last week. Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Ezri Konsa, and Matty Cash acted as a back four in front of Emi Martínez. Amadou Onana, who scored on his debut for his new club, operated in the middle of the park next to Youri Tielemans. The end of Nicolò Zaniolo’s loan and Moussa Diaby’s exit to Saudi Arabia should signal more minutes for Morgan Rogers. He would work in tandem with Ollie Watkins in the offense.

Arteta altered only one player in his starting eleven from the 2-0 victory over Wolves on the opening matchday. Oleksandr Zinchenko dropped to the bench. Riccardo Calafiori would have to wait for his full debut; Jurriën Timber earned his second start for Arsenal on the left of the back four. So, Thomas Partey played again at the base of the midfield while Declan Rice remained in a more advanced role. Kai Havertz also stayed as the central forward since Gabriel Jesus was missing with a groin issue.

Cagey control

Villa did not veer from their usual 4-4-2 system. So, their visitors proceeded with caution. Safe and steady buildup involved Partey dropping into the first line of the offensive structure or White staying in a deep position to the right of William Saliba in a back three, where he could bait McGinn higher to stretch the space between the lines. Two primary routes of progression into the final third followed.

On the one hand, Arteta’s men could search for space on the left wing with the switch of play. Here, relationships require more work. Timber repeatedly moved into the middle of the pitch next to Partey. Rice was not particularly present in the buildup phase and on occasion, when the ball stuck with him in higher positions, he gave license to Martinelli to run infield. But the Brazilian is not in his finest form and will wonder if he should have troubled Kosta Nedeljković, a deputy for the injured Cash.

On the other hand, Partey could pull up behind the two forwards and briefly get free. As Ødegaard threatened to drift off the shoulder of Tielemans, he could then either push through the channel from a wider position to force Villa to reset their press with their patient probing approach or look to link with a black shirt through the rotation on the right wing. However, attacks were prone to breaking down— especially since White’s deep positioning often meant a third man was missing to combine.

5^th minute: offensive sequence from Arsenal. McGinn had fallen back to help Digne, then advanced towards White, from whom Saka received the ball. Watkins does not tightly track Partey on the inside angle, so the right back can thread a pass inside the block. Onana recognizes this situation, while Ødegaard separates off his inside shoulder. However, at the point of reception, the captain is shifting inwards on his left foot, under pursuit from Tielemans, and Havertz also is under double coverage.

Rogers and Onana upset duel dominant Gunners

The match in April closely trailed the balance of the battle for possession. Arsenal again looked to press out of their asymmetric shape: Havertz had responsibility of Konsa, while Saka jumped to close down Torres. White would sprint out to Digne to complete the trap on the right, so the two central defenders had to dominate duels with Rogers and Watkins. Watkins would have a torrid afternoon. Saliba stood up to the test against the pestilent presence, who missed an open goal in the 25th minute.

However, Rogers was relentless, raising his profile in the Premier League. Arteta admitted his players are still not at their physical peak and their defensive organization fell apart in light of his work with the ball. Rogers ripped holes through the center of the pitch as a second striker with a stature that was tough to knock off the ball and the technique to set off on carries past Partey and Rice. He and Onana both excelled in this aspect of their displays as Arsenal suffered more than they would have liked.

Mikel Arteta smiled and nodded when asked about Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers' "running threat."

“When you lose the ball & you counter-press, they break that press. They have a lot of legs,have runners between centre-backs & full-backs.They make us suffer in open spaces.” #AVFC

— Jacob Tanswell (@J_Tanswell) August 24, 2024

Aptly, the pair probed the guests’ block in the 54th minute. Rogers rolled a pass into the feet of the midfielder, whose strike deflected off the leg of Gabriel Magalhães, flying onto the bar. David Raya had contorted himself to save this shot, lying on the floor at the point of the rebound. Watkins stooped to steer a header into the net, but Raya responded— planting himself back on his feet to palm away the inevitable opening goal. Villa Park was aghast. Would it become Arsenal’s afternoon after all?

Super sub strikes again

Villa vied for leadership of the duel with two more substitutions in the 65th minute. Jhon Durán came on for Watkins, and Jacob Ramsey replaced McGinn. At the same time, Arteta asked for the services of his twelfth man: Martinelli made way for Leandro Trossard as the left winger. He obliged with his customary goal. Saka sprinted toward the byline following the carousel of rotations on the right wing, pulling a cutback towards the penalty area. Trossard lurked for a rebound, slotting a shot into the net.

Saliba is too funny man. He kept telling Trossard to do the goggle thing 🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/DHTPKU5x28

— Roby (@robystyles4u777) August 24, 2024

The goal illustrated the traits this team possesses at its best. Ødegaard had been anchoring himself deeper in the right sided rotations, and the gradual acceleration of attacks allowed White to have more time to arrive on the overlap in support. After the hour mark, with this wide access, Saka slung several threatening crosses in the box, and an audacious layoff from his captain ought to have broken the deadlock earlier. Now the guests were in gear. Emery looked to his bench once more for answers.

64^th minute: offensive sequence from Arsenal. Havertz had temporarily offered himself as a fourth option to the right of the offense, helping Ødegaard to advance, Saka to infiltrate inside and White to push higher on the outside. The visitors display patience as Timber turns away from any deep runners to go back where the ball came from to Saka. Note the space that the winger has on the outer edge of Villa’s block; as the midfield pushes out, Ødegaard can roll inside and fed a pass for his teammate.

This time, he put on Ian Maatsen for Digne and Ross Barkley for Onana. It would be futile: lightning would strike twice before their entry could change the flow of the fixture. White threatened through a gap on the inside of Saka while Ødegaard offered short and the switch was available through Gabriel. Trossard tormented Nedeljković with a sharp run behind the offside line, drilling a delivery along the face of the goal. Saka stepped onto the play, setting up Partey to pick out the bottom corner of the net. At last, Villa’s resistance relented, and the streak of successive defeats was over for their opponents.

Takeaways

Football is a cruel sport. The stats would signal Villa should have suffered (at least) on the scoreline in their three hours of action against Arsenal last campaign. Now, in a moment when their players blew open the clash, failures in the final third from the talisman were costly at the final whistle. In a stretched schedule with an additional injury in the squad, a victory was particularly desirable if the squad seek to compete on two fronts. However, Emery should stay calm: the signs are encouraging.

Arteta addressed efficiency as the primary point of weakness for Arsenal in the 2-0 loss at the end of last season. Trossard’s trademark play should not fool fans that this is no longer an issue, but it is a massive three points for the guests. On their part, the calmness in the final half hour was a credit to their staying power— even if Villa ought to have punished their shortcomings. Above all, as trips to Spurs and Manchester City are on the horizon, it is evidence that this camp can get over the line.

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