Arsenal vs Aston Villa: Shocking season sees faint top four hopes vanish

Arsenal were always rank outsiders to finish in the top four this season. That horrific run pre-Christmas saw to that. Then there was a revival. Seven matches unbeaten in the Premier League brought renewed optimism. Defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday banished it.

Were Arsenal ever going to finish in the top four and claim Champions League? Unlikely. Did they claw themselves back into the conversation through a blend of newfound defensive resolve, fluid attacking football and the failings of other sides? Marginally so.

If coming away with zero points from Wolves severely dampened such ambitions, the 1-0 loss at Villa Park extinguished the flames entirely.

This season has been shocking. Ten defeats in 23 matches. Whatever worrying standard that was set has been met. Mid-table results from a mid-table team. How many Villa players walk into this Gunners side?

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Arsenal see their already faint top four hopes evaporate at the hands of Aston Villa

Arsenal are better. Better than they were. In many departments they’re much improved. Coming away from matches such as the one on Saturday without anything to show for it will once again will be analysed under the microscope of fine margins.

That much can’t be begrudged. The spells of dominance have grown in length as the season progresses, yet the end result remains untouched. Against Villa, Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka were repeatedly combining with Granit Xhaka down the left flank, and while Matty Cash had stood up to the task as well as he could have, the opportunities were there. Pepe was guilty of weak final passes and wayward finishing.

They were nonetheless on top. These periods of play have been prevalent but not exploited. This is far from the sole reason for the Gunners’ failings – which there are too many to list – but they’ve been the common denominator in a season brimming with frustration and inadequacies. Mastering the art of dominance has been one box Mikel Arteta has not yet ticked.

Top four is gone, and has been for a while largely in part to this shortcoming. While a top six spot looks dauntingly bleak, if Arsenal can break this mould and avoid wasting these periods of the game it’s not a foregone conclusion.

Signs are there that this is the side Arteta has envisaged. Still short on quality and penetration, for all the disheartening displays the wheels are ever so slightly in motion.

That does not, however, detract from an alarmingly low standard that has seeped into north London. Arsenal are where they are for a reason. It’s lamentable. Not a top four side by any stretch of the imagination, rash decisions in the dugout won’t change that.

Admittedly it’s not easy for any supporter to seek solace in defeat, not least one that is one of ten already this campaign. It’s a dire season that has the platform to worsen. But amid the shocking nature of it there are glimmers of development that, if built on and not allowed to dissipate, may eek out the occasional result before the summer rebuild takes place.

Worryingly slim, mind you. This is where Arsenal are at the minute, best buckle in.