Arsenal dropped points once again in the Premier League, this time losing 1-0 to Aston Villa and this loss means the Gunners remain on the 10th spot of the table, after having played 23 games.
Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the match in the 2nd minute and that too came after some lapse defending from the Gunners. The Arsenal players did manage to take control of the match after that but they ultimately failed to find the back of the net.
And speaking about the loss, Mikel Arteta has admitted that if his side want to be in the top-four then they have to be more alert – on both ends of the pitch.
He told the press, as per the club’s official website: “Those [top-four] teams don’t make those mistakes.
“Those [top-four] teams cannot play four or five times in the first 22 games of the season with 10 men. It doesn’t happen. There’s not a team in the world that can sustain that. If you concede a goal early or make an error, the team has to react.
“The team reacted and we had more than enough to still come back and win the game. If you don’t do one thing, you have to do the other. If you are not ruthless enough in the opponent’s box then of course you are going to lose the game.
“It was a really strong performance again. We completely dominated the game, we dominated in every department and we should have won the game.
“But in the Premier League when you give a goal to the opponent – and we gave them another three opportunities – and you are not ruthless in the opponent’s box, you don’t win games.
“The rest, the way the team played and the energy that they showed, the quality they showed, the number of chances and situations we created, how quickly we regained the ball, how we controlled long balls, second balls and how aggressive we were in our duels, it was all incredible.
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“But it wasn’t enough to win the game.”
Arsenal have now played 23 games meaning the teams around them still have a few games in hand. So if the likes of Aston Villa and Leeds United can pick up wins in their next two outings then the Gunners could fall down to the bottom half of the table.
After this loss, the hopes of finishing in the top-four of the table seem to be a distant dream and right now, the only way for them to get back into the Champions League next season will be to win the Europa League this time around.
Arsenal take on Leeds United in the Premier League next weekend and they have no other option but to pick up a win against Bielsa’s side. Anything other than a win would be catastrophic since they will face Man City and Leicester right after that.
