Arsenal continue to grow, but there is a long way to go

For the first half of the match against Liverpool, Arsenal appeared to really be onto something. Having not scored in the previous three meetings this season, it was obvious that there was an edge to the play of the young Gunners, and the Reds were not quite comfortable.

While their players were making mistakes and playing lackadaisical football, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was visibly livid upon the sidelines for large stretches of time.

At half-time things seemed positive, as things had been seeming positive for some time, and as Arsenal has demonstrated itself a team of second-half innovations this season, some confidence was held by some that the advantage could be further pressed in the second half. It was, however, then a mistake here and a mistake there hat meant what was 0-0 became 2-0 relatively quickly.

From there, Arsenal showed resistance and continued to fight. The match should likely have ended at 2-1 given opportunities squandered, but it was not to be, and that is a credit to Liverpool. There is no doubting that this Liverpool team is, once again, very real and a very pressing threat to steal the Premier League title from Manchester City.

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Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Mikel Arteta’s side have a hectic April ahead but can take encouragement from Liverpool defeat

For Arsenal things are hardly very different than they were before the match, other than one of the matches we had in hand no longer exists as an advantage. Winning against the likes of Tottenham, Manchester United and West Ham will likely be enough to put Arsenal into the fourth position on the league table rather comfortably, but three points against what appears to be a severely hobbled Chelsea would aid their cause for third position to be sure.

What comes next for the Gunners, however, will be a combination of endurance, ambition, volition, skill and a surely a bit of luck as well. The top-four is in the grasp of Arsenal, but they must close their hands around it firmly as March nears its end, and the coming month of April stands menacingly ahead.

There will be no time for Arsenal to mourn their latest loss, for Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa will play hosts on Saturday. Villa are no joke and have the talent to be a real threat in the coming years too; Gerrard is just settling in still, and will have a massive influence on this club in those coming campaigns.

But in this particular one Villa are ninth, leading the pack of teams behind them but a fair distance from the next tier of clubs this season – a full ten points behind Wolves. They are a good team, a streaky team as of this season, and one that has been faring better since the coaching swap was decided earlier this season. Dean Smith is now with Norwich, and Gerrard, formerly of Rangers, has been remolding this outfit since his hiring in early November.

Yet it is what to come that will be Arsenal’s big test.

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