Arsenal needs to defeat Aston Villa to create psychological momentum

In Premier League history, only one team has ever won runner-up in three consecutive seasons. That was Arsenal from 1999 to 2001, and Manchester United won in all three of these campaigns.

Mikel Arteta's team has followed Manchester City closely in the last two campaigns. Even their score of 89 points last season was enough to secure the championship in 18 of the previous 32 Premier League campaigns.

Although they did not win the championship last season, Arsenal set their record number of wins in the Premier League (29). Breaking this record is not an easy task, but The Gunners have improved significantly each season under Arteta.

Arsenal have been surpassed by Man City in the sprint phase in the last two campaigns. In the 2022-2023 season, they let The Citizens close the 8-point gap. Last season, the "Gunners" even led into the final round before Man City defeated Tottenham.

The lack of squad depth is one of the main reasons leading to Arsenal 's shortness of breath . No team used fewer than 25 Arsenal players last season, but that number is similar to Man City. The clear difference between the two teams lies in their ability to rotate the squad and maintain momentum.

Arteta has a habit of recruiting versatile players in recent transfer windows. Therefore, although there is a slight shortage of force, in return, Arsenal creates healthy competition in positions.

Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka are probably the only two irreplaceable pillars of Arsenal at the moment. They have had a total of 90 goals in the Premier League over the past two seasons and started 73/78 matches during that period.

Meanwhile, Man City can freely rotate their key players. Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne were key players in the second half of the season, despite playing significantly less than the aforementioned Arsenal duo.

Improving attack is a decisive factor if Arsenal wants to go further this season. The "Gunners" cannot be allowed to repeat the waste, whether they put their trust in Kai Havertz or have to recruit a new striker.

The Gunners have lost only 1 of their last 18 Premier League matches. However, that defeat (0-2 against Aston Villa) was the key that caused them to lose the championship to Man City.

In fact, Unai Emery's team was the only team to defeat Arsenal in both matches last season. The home team at Villa Park has always been an annoying opponent for Arsenal under Arteta.

The Gunners must be near-perfect if they want to prevent Man City from winning a fifth straight title. And a victory at Villa Park could be a catalyst for them to move towards this goal.