Arsenal finished second in the Premier League last season with 89 points and continued to see Manchester City win the championship. The two defeats to Aston Villa were a turning point that cost the Gunners their advantage. And in each of those defeats, Mikel Arteta lamented his players' performance.
Therefore, despite the fact that the season has just begun, the victory over Aston Villa right from round 2 will give The Gunners more motivation. "In theory, in the two games against Aston Villa last season, Arsenal had to win comfortably. However, we couldn't do it, so there was still something missing. And today we did it," said Arteta after the match.
Leandro Trossard came on for Gabriel Martinelli in the 65th minute and scored with his first touch. That was the opening goal for Arsenal, with Thomas Partey scoring the other goal. Arteta was clearly superior to his teammate Unai Emery in this confrontation. As soon as he noticed Martinelli's ineffective performance, the Spanish strategist immediately changed.
Trossard is not a regular starter for the Gunners, but he is perhaps the best finisher Arteta has in hand. This is another reason to explain why Arsenal are in no rush to buy more strikers.
Trossard seemed to be at his best when coming off the bench. 6 of the Belgian's 14 goals for Arsenal have come from the bench - the highest rate (43%) of any other player in the Premier League.
However, Arsenal's victory was greatly helped by Aston Villa's misfortune, especially striker Ollie Watkins. The 28-year-old did not play a single minute in pre-season after reaching the EURO 2024 final with England. Notably, Watkins is being rumored to be Arsenal's top target to upgrade the attack.
Difficult challenges lie ahead for Arteta's side. They will have to host a Brighton side in good form at home in round 3. After that, Arsenal's ability to maintain their away form will face difficult challenges, respectively against Tottenham and Man City.
In a season where Arsenal may need to reach the 90 point mark to defeat Man City, the victory over Villa is an extremely optimistic signal.
"We fought as a united team and we deserved to win. I am really happy. Arsenal had to do their best to beat Aston Villa and we did. We need to continue to maintain this spirit and attitude," the Spaniard added.
