Arsenal Vs Aston Villa: 5 things we learned – The inspiring Matteo Guendouzi

2. You have to want it more

I do not usually pay much attention to ‘dinosaur’ pundits who dismiss the modern advancements of tactics and analysis and skill and understanding. The relentless repetition of desire, heart, fight, grit and character can get a little tiresome. That said, these qualities do make a difference to a team’s performance, especially when they are absent.

On Sunday, Aston Villa simply ‘wanted it more’. I am still not quite sure what that means, and I am also uncertain about how an apparently professional, competitive team cannot want to win, but simply watching the contrasting central midfield performances illustrates exactly this point.

John McGinn and Jack Grealish were superb. They ran and ran and ran, they beat Arsenal players to second balls, they snapped into challenges and passed the ball calmly and with progression. Matteo Guendouzi and Granit Xhaka, meanwhile, seemingly did not want to be there — just rewatch Aston Villa’s second goal if you want any proof of this. It is obvious to say, and a little ancient analysis, but you have to want it more than the opposition, and the Gunners, predictably, did not.