Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

Arsenal Vs Aston Villa: 5 things we learned – Midtable performance; midtable team

By Andrew Dowdeswell

Arsenal, Eddie Nketiah (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Arsenal, Eddie Nketiah (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – JULY 21: David Luiz of Arsenal reacts with his team during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Arsenal FC at Villa Park on July 21, 2020 in Birmingham, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Peter Powell/Pool via Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – JULY 21: David Luiz of Arsenal reacts with his team during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Arsenal FC at Villa Park on July 21, 2020 in Birmingham, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Peter Powell/Pool via Getty Images) /

4. What intensity?

In successive wins against Liverpool and Manchester City, Arsenal played with a brilliant intensity, energy, and spirit. They worked relentlessly hard, competed for every loose ball, tackled hard, played with focus, energy, and precision. While they needed good fortune to beat both, the character of their performance was exemplary. So where did it go?

From the very first whistle, Arsenal were loose, lax, lethargic. Their passing was inaccurate and wayward, they were unable to connect in any area of the pitch, created next to nothing, and, most concerningly, lacked that sharpness and intensity of their recent performances. By full-time, they conjured zero shots on target and their best chance of the game came from a corner.

Before the match, Arteta said that his squad cannot grow complacent because of two excellent wins against the best teams in the country. Aston Villa might be in a relegation scrap, but they need not be underestimated. And yet, that is precisely what happened. Arsenal were not at the race, not whatsoever, and it is why they are in midtable.