I’ve left this until the last minute as I’m not sure what to think really. Arsenal are many people’s prediction to win the title and I actually think they’re more likely to win the league than Citeh, in my opinion.
Yet many Villa fans I’ve spoken to are very confident that we’ll win today. I’m not so sure. Apparently Arsenal are making an extra effort to win this one so they can get revenge for us doing the double over them last season. Whatever, we know we’re going to face a very good side and it’ll be difficult.
One conversation involved us agreeing that if you really take it to the Gunners and give them a bit of “treatment” straight from the off, they don’t like it and are likely to back off. Here is where I’m going to be watching Onana very closely, as I think his physicality will contribute massively over this season. McGinn can get stuck in a bit too, although the same conversation led to us agreeing that his is a position that if we’re being ruthless, could do with upgrading. It’s a sacriligious thought really, as I love the bloke, but if we’re being pragmatic, nobody is safe.
Squad news and it’s pretty good. It’s unchanged this week and Unai has spoken about Kamara and Mings coming back. Kamara is a few weeks away from training with the team and Mings too sounds even closer.
As for Arsenal, well, it’s probably easier if I just post the teams;
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Rice, Partey, Odegaard, Martinelli, Saka, Havertz.
Subs: Ramsdale, Zinchenko, Kiwior, Calafiori, Jorginho, Nelson, Nwaneri, Trossard, Nketiah.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Pau, Konsa, Digne, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn, Bailey, Rogers, Watkins.
Subs: Gauci, Carlos, Maatsen, Nedeljkovic, Barkley, Buendia, Jaden, Ramsey, Duran
Same team as last week, I think, which is how Emery likes it and who can blame him? Last week was a good performance after all , so why change it?
As previously mentioned, I think if we get at them we can win this, but they’ll be up for it too and the question will be can can make the better start? Whoever does, will probably get the early goal and it’ll make a very favourable difference.
I predict goals and a 2-2 looks most likely to me.
UTV!
Comments
105 responses to “Villa-Arsenal; Looks very drawish to me”
Fingers crossed eh?
Nailing my colours to the mast, it’s going to be Villa 3-1 Arse.
COYL
You’re about the fourth to have said that to me. I hope you’re right!
To get anything from today we need Ollie to be up and running. First goal will be crucial too. If they score first then they are excellent defensively and can shut up shop. I have no idea regarding a prediction but as a long time fan, I always tend to feel negative.
No idea about how this will play out. Our bench looks strong. Good positive options on there.
Great save by Emi!!! A cagey game…Shame to see Cash off.
Let Arse have the ball while we settle…Then get at them…
Ollie!! WTF!!!
Watkins lost his bite if you ask me, the determination not in his game at the minute, with the so called England manager watching he needs to sharpen up . Still we got our favourite ref who just don’t like the midland team.
Duran for a second winner in a row?
It’s a VERY competitive game…
Ollie’s miss looked like he wasn’t concentrating or focused, and as a result, wasn’t ready when the chance came. Jaded? Chance for Duran to step up?
Out defence take the honours so far and Tielemans is having a blinder. Ollie’s problems are in his head. A real CF world not have missed that, he was celebrating and reading the press reports before he hit it.
Bastards!!!! Come on Villa!!!!
I’m worried about Ollie’s 2 clear misses…
I effing knew it , 3 chances we had and blew it .
F*** it. Game over.
Clean sheet next week is the order of the day. Need to get back to basics and stop believing our own hype. If you can’t keep clean sheets, you’re going nowhere. Simple ad thar.
*as that
Ramsey should check back onto his right and curl it into opposite corner like he usually does. Rusty.
They’ve actually played well. Scoreline flatters the Arse.
I thought we played well and deserved something from the game. Watkins squandered two simple chances which Haaland or a Kane don’t miss.
Rogers and Tielemans were our outstanding players today.
I agree BFR luck wasn’t with us if only comes to mind, but it’s got to be said Watkins got to take a hard look at himself. That game could have been ours. Still early days and i just hope we can find our game again .
I wonder if Watkins has gone off? I found it odd that he didn’t play the last pre-season match, maybe Unai isn’t happy with his work on return. I only heard the radio commentary – Rogers was the pick of our attackers. Last season Arsenal squandered chances in this fixture and paid the price, today the roles were reversed.
I think the first miss for Watkins hit his confidence to much. He doesn’t like anywhere near it at the moment. The young right back coming in wasn’t ideal at all and I think that’s a game you wouldn’t want to play 70 minutes. Bailey and Konsa did well to look after him today. Everyone played well, Ollie had a few glimpses with some hold up play. Overall we looked fine just missed our (very clear) chances. A little surprised with Artetas tactics to be honest because if I was him I would have pounded the left side and pasted our right back.
Worried about Ollie blowing 2 very, very clear chances… We should have been at least one or two up.
Duran to start next week?
Is it just me but Ollie doesn’t look one happy puppy?
The lad always appears to pleasant demeanour but presently has a a proper troubled look.
Something isn’t quite right.
(have)
I think so, if Ollie isn’t right and has looked a literally a shadow of himself and Duran is clearly known to be chomping at the bit. …Play Duran!!! That first chance Ollie missed, Duran wouldn’t have just finished, he would have broke the net from that distance! The boy is fire!!
I agree with the comments about Ollie. He is low energy and looks like he’s just going through the motions. There were many passes over the top that last season he would have chased and bullied the defenders but it was the other way around for both games.
If he was unfit, he wouldn’t be playing and, if he’s having other problems, he still wouldn’t be playing. This might sound nuts but is Ollie on the way out?
If he as being sold then that might explain it. If we cash in on Ollie and buy young players with potential and a similar age profile to most of our squad, I’m not sure I’d be against it.
Anyway, I’m probably way off the mark but something is definitely up with Ollie.
Arsenal deserved the win for taking their chances, but I can’t help but see a link between Arsenal being the team that wrote to the Premier League over the treatment of their player, and then getting a free-kick just because McGinn kicked the ball in open play and it just happened to accidentally hit one of their players, ref hadn’t a clue what to do there, panic decision, and one of the worst I’ve seen in the modern game.
I think that McGinn meant to hit the player but only to glance it off him for a corner. Agree rubbish decision.
I thought he was going for a corner too.
Toney not in Brentford squad again. On his way for sure. But where to? Could the Villa be in the running? I’m not sure I’d want him at VP, based on his history…
And not at £50m+ thank you.
Didn’t see yesterday’s game but OLL called it with Oliver as referee. Still, rather disappointed we didn’t manage to get anything from the game.
Watkins seems to be taking most of the criticsm but didn’t Emi make a mistake allowing them their second? If it had stayed at 1-0 might it have been a different outcome?
Watkins hasn’t had the best of starts but talk of Duran starting ahead of him is laughable. As far as I’m concerned the Colombian has a lot more to do to win back all the fans he upset. First and foremost he needs to knuckle down in training and when he gets an opportunity, he needs to take it. Watkins hasn’t had an ideal preseason but he got into goalscoring positions yesterday. He isn’t a natural finisher and a lot of his goals come from his work rate. Duran probably is a better finisher but he doesn’t have Watkins work rate, yet!
I think we will be busy in the transfer market this week and I still wouldn’t be surprised if Duran is sold and someone new comes in.
It’s always disappointing to lose a game but we played better than we did last season when we won 1-0.
Football is a funny old game!
The way I look at it is that (hypothetically) if Grealish wore a Man United shirt on Instagram live video stream in 2018 and said come on the Red Devils, we’d all have still been wanting him to start, let’s have double standards here and do what’s best for the team, Duran has got goals in a lot of the games he’s played in, and Watkins looks unfit
After the (superb) goal against Holland, the plaudits and acclaim, it was only natural and inevitable that Ollie would have a slump. Beware the perils of glory and success, for the only way is down after the camera lights stop flashing and the hysteria moves to another ‘hero’. Ollie needs to ride it out, refocus, get fit (mentally and physically), and he’ll be fine. Be patient.
Yeah I agree with Ollie but with Duran people have to get over themselves I think
Not sure, Alfie. What you said about Grealish is inaccurate in my view. If he’d (hypothetically) done that, Villa fans would have turned against him, in my opinion, and he would have received torrents of abuse, online, at VP, and generally wherever he went. Duran has some credits in the bank from last season and last week, but he needs to earn the fans’ trust, within reason, over a period of time.
Duran scored the winner against Palace and suddenly he deserves to be ahead of Watkins in the starting XI?
He has a good record when coming on as a substitute but it’s harder to start a game and get a goal when defenders aren’t tired. I hope Duran stays and fights for his place because Watkins needs competition. I think Duran could be the better finisher out the two but there’s a lot more required of Emery’s number 9 than putting the ball in the net.