Arsenal ranked 2nd in the Premier League last season with 89 points and continued to watch Manchester City win the championship. 2 defeats against Aston Villa were the turning point that made the "Gunners" lose their advantage. And in each of those defeats, Mikel Arteta lamented the performance of his students.
Therefore, even though the season has just begun, a victory over Aston Villa in round 2 will give The Gunners more motivation. "In theory, in the two matches against Aston Villa last season, Arsenal should have won comfortably. However, we couldn't do it, so there was still something missing. And today we did. can do it" - Arteta said after the match.
Leandro Trossard came on to replace Gabriel Martinelli in the 65th minute and scored with his first touch of the ball. That was the goal that opened the victory for Arsenal , with the other goal coming from Thomas Partey. Arteta is clearly superior to his colleague Unai Emery in this confrontation. As soon as he realized that Martinelli was not playing effectively, the Spanish strategist immediately changed.
Trossard is not a regular starter for the "Gunners", but is probably the best finisher that Arteta has on hand. This is another reason why Arsenal is not in a hurry to buy more strikers.
Trossard seems to be at his best when coming off the bench. Six of the Belgian's 14 goals for Arsenal have come from the bench - the highest proportion (43%) of any other player in the Premier League.
However, Arsenal's victory was helped in no small way by Aston Villa's incompetence, especially striker Ollie Watkins. The 28-year-old player did not play a single minute in the pre-season after reaching the EURO 2024 final with England. It is worth mentioning that Watkins is rumored to be Arsenal's top target to upgrade their attack. .
Difficult challenges are still waiting for Arteta's team ahead. They will have to welcome a high-form Brighton at home in round 3. After that, Arsenal's ability to maintain away form will face difficult challenges, against Tottenham and Man City respectively.
In a season where Arsenal may need to reach the 90-point mark to beat Man City, victory over Villa is an extremely optimistic sign.
"We fought as a united team and we deserved to win. I'm really happy. Arsenal had to show their best to beat Aston Villa and we did it . We need to continue to maintain this spirit and attitude" - the Spanish strategist added.
