After this game, Arsenal have won five consecutive Premier League away games (Leeds United, Norwich, Wolves, Watford, Villa), which is Arsenal's best league away record since February-May 2015.
This wave really has the feeling of a strong team, no matter how well you play, how you are in shape, you can find a way to win the game, this is the standard of a strong team! The away record was supposed to be Arsenal's last resort, but this season has improved tremendously and must be praised for Arteta and his players!
Let's talk about the competition in a nutshell:
In the case of a dense schedule, Arsenal have performed very well in this away win over Villa, with great tenacity, especially in defence, and the improvement in defence is indeed great! However, it is not without loopholes, Watkins' goalpost and Ince's header are still quite scary, and the last few minutes in front of the goal are also very loud, or can not be careless.
On the whole, Arsenal's rhythm in the second half was a bit scattered, but it didn't matter if the scene was not wonderful, there is nothing more important than three points in such a game, and it is very good to bite your teeth and win!
Thomas is really strong now, whether it is physical state, mental will or confidence are maintained quite well, his improvement is really all-round compared to last year; the connection between Odegaard and Saka on the right side is now more and more mature, the cooperation and state of these two people is actually equivalent to the barometer of Arsenal's attack, relatively speaking, Lowe in addition to plugging in the shot, or to improve the participation in the game, of course, after all, he has played too little recently, he has to slowly find the rhythm. Lacazette is okay except for not scoring, but Arsenal still have to buy a centre-forward who can score in the summer.
It may also be that Arsenal are well limited, this feeling that Villa in addition to the foot fierce, the rhythm is actually more general, there is no strong impact and acceleration, even if it is backward and did not speed up the rhythm, honestly the whole game did not have too many absolute scoring opportunities, in the second half Arsenal This passive situation is also part of the initiative to let out, anyway, a goal lead, coupled with physical problems, can only play counter-attack with peace of mind.
It feels like this referee is more threatening than the Villa players... In addition, Leno's proof is that at least in terms of goal line technology, he is not bad, but the foot work does not meet Arteta's requirements.
This win is actually easier than expected, even the consumption is not very large, I hope that the next two weeks of international competition days can rest well, to meet the final sprint, the top four are still in sight!
This season's Premier League players aged 21 and under have scored 9 goals, Foden 7, Broia 6 and Martinelli 5.
Arsenal have three players, and Lowe and Saka dominate! Although these two years have not deliberately cultivated new youth players, but the expensive is not expensive, these three people alone are enough to benefit Arsenal for many years, which team can not produce new youth stars every year, contentment!
I am really looking forward to how these three people will perform if they can participate in the Champions League next season, and whether they can shock The European Continent!
In this game, Saka was clearly targeted, Villa players are very heavy on their feet, do not give him too much room to sprint, but Saka still seized the opportunity to score the decisive goal, the star is like this, can seize the only opportunity under the restrictions of a hammer, this is the ability.
Saka's goal was his seventh in his last 11 Premier League games and Arsenal's 2,000th Premier League goal, and the Gunners became the third team to score 2,000 goals in the Premier League.
Manchester United 2176 goals, Liverpool 2002 goals, Arsenal 2000 goals, Chelsea 1954 goals.
Saka was also named the best player of the game, but the best player officially voted by Arsenal was Thomas.
Saka is very efficient now and can find a way to contribute to the team regardless of form, good or bad, he is only 20 years old, he is still a local player, I think a lot of gun fans may not realize what this means, look how much Manchester United spent on Sancho...
Saka has had 10 goals and 5 assists this season, the data is close to the level of the top wingers, and this is basically the data won in the Premier League, the gold content is very high, not to mention that Arsenal games are already less, otherwise Saka is likely to have already broken through to participate in the goal of 20+, which is a bad data...
As for the Premier League 2,000 goals, Arsenal have not attacked very well in recent years, and even now it is difficult to see a big win of more than four goals (of course, the defense has improved a lot), otherwise it should break through the 2,000 goal mark faster than Liverpool, but it doesn't matter, this data is icing on the cake, Arsenal can return to the Champions League better than anything!
In an interview with BT after the game, Saka said the Villa player "deliberately" kicked him.
Saka said: "I didn't complain to the referee when I came off the field, but I wanted him to know that it was my game. I would take the ball and hit the opposing player, and sometimes I needed more protection when the opposing player deliberately kicked me. That's what I let the referee know at the time. ”
This opinion should be spoken out, and this request is not excessive, not to say that special treatment should be applied, but when the opponent is very heavy on the foot, or even deliberately kicking someone, the referee should have indicated.
In recent years, we have kept hearing the arguments of Messi, Neymar, Salah and others that they need protection, in fact, this is also the truth, talented offensive players are often targeted, normal defensive actions we do not say anything, but some deliberate fouls should be severely punished. This is also good for the development of the entire football environment.
This time Saka was kicked not lightly, especially Mins's kick made people sweat, but objectively it shows that Sna did touch the ball first, and the foot did not leave the ground (although the foot was confiscated), and the referee's decision to give a yellow card is also justified... But there are too many other small actions, and Lowe has also been violated many times this time.
Thomas was officially voted arsenal as the best player of the game.
Squawka counts Thomas's match stats: 88% pass success rate, 58 touches, 9 wins, 5 one-on-one successes, 3 dribblings, 2 successes, 2 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 chance creation, 1 shot on target.
Thomas has been too strong lately, and I personally tend to choose him as the best player of the game, of course, in this kind of game, the winning goal is too important, otherwise everything is meaningless, so Saka also deserves to be elected.
It is good that there are many people who can participate in the best selection, which shows that the whole team is playing well!
The whole team hugged Leno after the game, thanking him for his performance and the courage to save in the last minute.
Even the background of Arsenal's official push has been replaced with photos of the whole team paying tribute to Leno, which shows that Leno's performance in this game is highly recognized.
Frankly speaking, Leno's game is not without flaws, especially the opening of the big foot is indeed a lot of problems, looking at Ramsdale, and then looking at Leno, you can indeed feel that the goalkeeper's ability to play the ball under his feet has declined greatly... However, Leno's goal-line skills and form are still top-notch, except for the crucial free kick in the last minute, and once he received a high ball in the first half and fell off balance, it was also impressive.
At that time, Leno received the ball and collided with Gabu, he could only hold the ball and touch the ground with his arm when he landed, but in this case, he did not let the ball off his hand, which showed his solid basic skills and courage, and did not relax the ball in the slightest because he was afraid of injury.
As for the last save is even more critical, judging from the replay, if Leno lets go, the back point is followed by Villa players, which is quite dangerous! This ball has to be said pepe, after coming up is simply a help, and finally if the ball is equalized, the gun fans are out of breath... When are you going to give a free kick back in front of the field?
Ramsdale hugged Leno after the game, and the two embraced each other to celebrate the victory.
This scene is particularly touching, because the two are not only teammates, but also competitors, but at this moment Ramsdale unreservedly pays tribute to Leno, which is touching and quite sympathetic.
Ramsdale always gives a very sincere feeling, and this guy's personality is really likeable!
It is a pity that there is no way to tolerate two tigers, Leno will leave in the summer, if he can help Arsenal to qualify for the Champions League before leaving, he can also leave with his head held high like Martinez, hoping that the whole team will give Leno a decent goodbye.
Speaking of which, Leno has not qualified for the Champions League since joining, and if he leaves the team to play in the Champions League next season, it is really a lamentation of fate...
There's also an interesting place: Ramsdale and Leno helped the team beat Martinez's Villa this season, respectively, at home and away...
Gabriel tweeted after the game: 3 points in hand, and a clean sheet.
Backline 4 men plus goalkeeper, this photo may become a classic after many years, if Leno is replaced by Sundae, Cedric is replaced by Fuan Jianyang, maybe this is Arsenal's new defensive five in the future...
This victory was indeed bought defensively.
Ashley Young criticised Arsenal's celebrations after the game, claiming the Gunners were like winning the league title.
Young said: "You also saw their celebrations, honestly it was as if they had won the Premier League, but it also showed that they understood that it was difficult to beat us. If we could start the first half as we did at the start of the second half, it would be a completely different situation. ”
I was speechless, this painting style was exactly the same as Nevis's time, there was nothing to find out about it...
Arsenal don't deserve to celebrate... Winning a ball to celebrate is on the news, it is really unheard of, and it does not provoke the fans, and it does not hinder public safety, what is wrong?
Arteta was in the post-match press conference and we'll take a look at what the Arsenal boss has talked about.
How important is this victory?
Yes, it was an important victory. After playing well against Liverpool and losing, we wanted to come here and perform well and score three points, and we did. We hope to perpetuate this dynamic.
You talked about the schedule before, but it doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with the game, do you?
Yes, but I also said the players would be 100% ready. I can complain or say what I think is better, but I have also told you the team will be ready.
Do you agree with other managers about crowded schedules?
I express my opinion, but I don't comment on the views of other coaches, I just express my own opinions.
Is Saka okay?
Yes, he was very tired. He had some problems with his hips after the game against Liverpool and he played too many games, you know. We didn't want him to take any chances because he was going to report to the England national team, so I decided to replace Saka.
Is Saka still going to england for the national team?
He should be fine, yes.
How are Saka and Thomas doing?
I think overall the team has performed really well. Regarding Thomas, we talked about maintaining horizontal continuity, and I think in 3 games over the last 6 days we've seen that continuity that Thomas hasn't had in the last three years, and I think he's put up his highest level of performance in three consecutive games, and for the team it's a great encouragement.
We saw Joff (set-piece coach) rush to the technical zone to give instructions to the players during the game, does that show that you value set-pieces?
I think anyone who thinks they can help the team in any way, just do it. Whether it's handing water to the players, shining shoes, or giving instructions, they can do whatever they want.
How much do you think set-pieces can make a difference in a game like this?
In the Premier League, especially in the top teams, they will score a lot of goals through set-pieces. 1-2 goals, nobody talks about that, but it can really make a difference, and the same is true in the Champions League.
You have to be prepared for all aspects of the game, we have good knowledge of that and we have to find what is good for us.
Arsenal have yet to concede a goal on a set-piece, what do you think?
Don't say it, save up your character! (Knock on the table)
Saka said after the game that he needed more protection from referees, do you agree?
Saka may have expressed how he felt on the pitch and I think the referees are also trying to do their best, but we have to listen to what the players think.
How did Ramsdale get hurt?
He didn't feel so confident in his last 50-60 minutes against Liverpool and we scanned him and found he was injured and his muscles were sore.
He wanted to come here, and he wanted to come here to support Leno after he knew he couldn't play, which showed Ramsdale's personality.
Can't Ramsdale play for England?
Yes, he can't play for England anymore.
What do you think of Mins' tackle against Saka?
I haven't watched the video yet, and my impression is that given the reaction of the players, the referee should look at the VAR. But they said they had seen it, and that was it.
Saka's downside was related to that tackle injury, didn't it?
Yes, but that's the referee's decision, and we can't change it.
Can Gabi (actually asking Martinelli) report to the Brazilian national team?
It was his personal problem, because it was clear that it was Gabriel's private problem. (Here Arteta actually misunderstood the reporter's question, the reporter asked "Gabi", Martinelli's full name Gabriel Martinelli, nicknamed Gabi, but Arteta thought the reporter was asking center-back Gabriel... ）
I'm asking Gabriel Martinelli, not Magalheis (Gabriel Magalheis):
Oh! Oh, I hope so! Martinelli is frustrated not to be able to play today because he is also on the road and he wants to be with the team.
Martinelli really deserves to be selected for the national team, so hopefully he will be able to set off tomorrow.
That's the press conference.
It can be seen that Arteta's mood is completely different from the previous one, and he can win Villa one step closer to the top four!
In addition, in fact, Arteta is now also recognized by gun fans, and the gun fans on the scene also sing Arteta's songs, which is completely different from the atmosphere when he was called for class last year, so The Tower Commander has reason to be happy, and his work has been recognized by everyone.
The press conference is very long, we are not long, the key is to know that Saka is okay, which is good, but I hope Southgate is still merciful, let Saka rest, he really played too many games, and look at Arteta's meaning, Saka still has a slight injury in liverpool's game.
Martinelli should not be a big problem, Ramsdale is not going to the national team just right, and Arsenal and Leno, the goalkeeper position is not worried...
Flores scored and Arsenal U23 drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace in the Premier League reserves.
Flores has recently gained a foothold in the U23 and has played quite well, with goals and assists from time to time.
Next season Arsenal qualify for Europe and the youngsters will have more opportunities to experience the first team, come on!
Torreira scored in two consecutive games and his goal helped Fiorentina draw 1-1 with Inter.
After the match, Torre Lafa ins said: goals +1, teeth -1.
It's really tough guy, although he is short, but Torreira's spirit and hard work are actually quite suitable for the Premier League...
This ball Torreira is a pass from his teammate in the penalty area, very accurate to hit the goal! Go back and fill your teeth!
Italian journalist Schilla said Torreira was close to joining Fiorentina and that Purple Lily was now asking for some discounts on top of the 15 million euro buyout clause and that they would be in talks with Arsenal in the coming days to discuss the matter.
Torreira is expected to receive a contract that expires in 2026 with an annual salary of €3 million.
To be honest, as far as Torreira's performance this season is concerned, 15 million euros is discounted, which is a robbery... Fiorentina did not run out of money after selling Vlahović and hoped arsenal would stick to the bottom line.
Of course, if Torreira really wants to go, it is estimated that Arsenal will also give in appropriately... In fact, if Xhaka stays in the team, Arsenal do not need to buy the main level of the back in the summer, it is not impossible to pull back Torreira, and it will cost money to buy a new midfield, but he may not meet Arteta's requirements.