Arsenal displayed what was arguably their worst performance under Mikel Arteta last night. The Gunners were hammered by Aston Villa at the Emirates and were lucky to lose by only three goals.
A Bukayo Saka own goal in the 25th minute put the Gunners under pressure at the break. Thomas Partey coming off injured at half-time was another big blow, and the Gunners seemed lost in the middle of the park without their marquee summer signing.
Ollie Watkins then scored two goals in the space of three minutes to give Villa a three-goal cushion. Dean Smith’s side should have scored more, which just shows how bad Arsenal were.
It was a terrible way to round off an otherwise impressive week. Arsenal beat Manchester United at Old Trafford and picked up a fine win in the Europa League against Molde. Many expected them to carry on their form against the Villans.
Arteta has demanded a reaction from his squad and his words were echoed by assistant Andreas Georgson.
The Swede expressed his disappointment in reaction to a tweet from Aston Villa’s official Twitter account:
Georgson was brought in from Brentford this summer as Arsenal set-piece coach. The Gunners still looked shaky at corners, but last night’s defeat was a terrible display all round.
Performances like that will cost Arsenal top-four finish
Arsenal need to find a way to be more creative in the middle of the park. Their forwards need to be more clinical and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who hasn’t had a shot on target from open play in the league since the game against Sheffield United last month, has to step up.
Arteta, Georgson and co need to get back to the drawing board. Four losses in eight league games is a terrible record.
If this continues, Arsenal can kiss goodbye to a top-four finish. And failing to quality for the Champions League would make this season a failure for Arteta.
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