please log in to view this image Venue: Emirates Stadium Date: Saturday 18th January 2025 KO time: 17:30 GMT Overall Record Wins: 88 Losses: 71 Draws: 45 Last six meetings Aston Villa 0-2 Arsenal Arsenal 0-2 Aston Villa Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
We'll see closer to the time if it's true, but Saliba apparently missing this game because of a hamstring issue. I'm not surprised, he's played so much football of late. And with Tomiyasu, White and even Calafiori (who can play at CB) all unavailable, he's been featuring a lot. Gonna be a problem if he's not there today, though, especially when someone else (Kiwior?) will up against a willing runner in Watkins. Also, someone on X made a really good point on this the other day, but if Partey starts, we will struggle in transition because the running power of Rogers is something he wasn't able to handle at Villa Park, and it'll be the same tomorrow. But also, when we defend low in settled play, Partey drops too deep into the back line. It leaves a gaping hole vacant in midfield and allows opposition players to get shots off. When they have superb ball-strikers like Jhon Duran too, this is the last thing we should be doing today if Villa have periods of dominating possession. As I said yesterday, not confident ahead of this one.
Interesting. Timber playing as a CB today...Really not a fan of this Partey at RB thing. How many games have we won with him at RB? Why don't we keep Timber at RB and put Rice at CB if he doesn't want to trust Kiwior? Saliba missing today is a massive, massive blow. But like I said before, not entirely unexpected considering how much he's played recently. An injury was inevitable. Just need to get through this game in one piece...
Also, Calafiori missing again...look, it's his debut season and he's still very young, but man, it's worrying how much football he's missed already. We spent a lot of money on him. To be fair, it's not like we weren't warned, as we could all see his injury record beforehand. But I do worry whether his availability is going to be a massive issue moving forward.
Liverpool have won it at the death against Brentford. This was a must-win game beforehand, but now that increases the pressure. We don't need a vintage performance tonight, just need to find a way to win.
HT. 1-0. Good half. Better than I expected considering the absences we have. Gabriel and Timber had to make a couple of important last-ditch challenges on Watkins to stop him getting in on goal, but we've been the better team overall. Martinelli's had an excellent half and Merino and Trossard have played well too. Although Merino should have doubled our lead - he wasted a really good chance. Let's keep it up and try to kill the game off in the second half.
Where was Havertz?? He should have been in that position (which is where a centre-forward should be). That Lewis-Skelly cross deserved a finish. There was no-one there.
2-0! Havertz! Trossard teases Cash and whips in a dangerous cross, Havertz gets across the centre half and hits it straight at Martinez (who should probably save it) and it goes off Martinez's leg and in. Trossard's stepped up the last two games it has to be said.
2-1. Tielemans. Digne has too much space to cross (great cross tbf) and Tielemans ghosts in behind to head it home and half the deficit.
This is really annoying. We were totally in control of the game, looked comfortable and that Tielemans goal has given Villa a new lease of life. Need to make sure we can take the sting out the game and regain control again.
FT. 2-2. That's really disappointing. I didn't expect us to win the game beforehand anyway, but we played so well for 62 minutes and were 2-0 up. You simply can't let the game get away from you from that position. It's such a shame because it undid all the good work we'd done up until that point. We were unlucky with the late winner being ruled out and Merino hitting the woodwork deep into injury time, but we should never have been needing a last minute goal to win that game considering the commanding position we were in.
Not enough is being made of this btw: Arsenal have dropped 12 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, their most in a single campaign since 2019-20 (21). We've dropped a lot of points after taking the lead. It's really not good enough. I know we've had injuries etc, but I can't just can't wrap my head around how we were so defensively solid and never looked like conceding last season, to now looking like conceding almost every game. Our last clean sheet was against Ipswich on the 27th December.
