Arsenal slip up at Aston Villa: Will injuries scupper Premier League title march? Are Unai Emery’s side now contenders? | Football News

Arsenal count the cost of defensive injuries

For Arsenal, the defeat against Aston Villa was made even more painful by the delay of the decisive goal. But as Mikel Arteta pointed out, it could have happened sooner. “We gave away two balls that could have cost us the match before the real goal,” he said.

We can’t blame the Gunners for a lack of defensive effort. Time and again, they threw themselves under the gunfire. Their total of seven blocks was the second highest in a game this season. But the repeated last-chance defenses betrayed their fragility.

Usually they don’t need these desperate interventions. But these are not usual circumstances, with Cristhian Mosquera having been added to a centre-back injury list which already included first-choice duo William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Injuries forced Piero Hincapie and Jurrien Timber to start together for the first time in central defense. The instability has had harmful consequences. Arsenal have conceded four in five matches since Gabriel’s injury, compared to just three in 17 previously.

Villa were excellent but Arsenal were there to be reached. Their expected goals total of 2.27 underlined the quality of the chances Villa were able to create. That figure represented around 25 percent of Arsenal’s total across 15 Premier League games this season.

Gabriel and the others can’t come back soon enough.
Nick Wright

Are Villa now title contenders?

Aston Villa’s improving form which has seen them win nine of their last 10 games without managing a single win in their first five Premier League games has taken some time to convince. They were poor in their previous home game against Wolves.

After that narrow victory, Emery faced questions over his side’s lack of goal threat, with Villa ranking just above the bottom three for expected goals despite their promising run of results. But the last two matches have transformed this outlook.

Their 4-3 win at Brighton in midweek saw Villa create their best quality chances of any Premier League game this season, according to expected goals data. Emery’s team followed up with their second most creative performance against the leaders.

Ollie Watkins and Donyell Malen can both now be considered fit, while Morgan Rogers has been outstanding in leading the Arsenal defense. Emiliano Buendia, coming off the bench late to score the winner, underlined that Villa now had options.

Enough to make them contenders for the title? Mikel Arteta suggested the Premier League was self-explanatory, with Villa moving into second place at the final whistle (before being overtaken again by Man City), undoubtedly the in-form team in the competition. Emery is more circumspect about their prospects.

“I don’t think about it,” he replied when Arteta’s comments were put to him in the post-match press conference. “I know that 38 matches is very difficult. We are not contenders. If we were on matchday 35, perhaps we could speak differently.” But it’s not that clear.

With Liverpool in disarray, while Manchester City and Chelsea continue to look vulnerable, Villa have just inflicted a damaging defeat on probably the strongest team in the Premier League – the only one that looked capable of running away with this title.

If form and fitness were to slow Arsenal’s progress at the start of the season, leaving the door ajar for another team to take advantage, it is this maturing Aston Villa team, whatever Emery may claim, that is starting to look like a team that might just come through it.
Adam Baté

Chelsea striker problem: one goal in 14 and Delap’s injury

Chelsea’s goalless draw against Bournemouth hammered home the idea that Enzo Maresca has a center forward problem and it is now impossible to ignore.

Chelsea generated plenty of territory, pressure and enough moments to suggest a big moment was coming, but once again the decisive action inside the box just wasn’t there. The spotlight inevitably turns to Chelsea’s starting striker – and the numbers are grim. Chelsea’s starting center forward has scored just one goal in 14 Premier League games. This is becoming a damaging trend and one that could soon put Maresca in a difficult situation.

And now Liam Delap’s shoulder injury removes the only internal option that offered a more direct running stylistic alternative, more physicality and more willingness to attack space. Chelsea’s lack of attack is holding them back.
Lewis Jones