Coach Unai Emery believes that the away trip to Arsenal is Aston Villa's biggest challenge ever. In the opposite direction, Mikel Arteta is likely to also feel the same level of difficulty when facing a visiting team that is reaching its peak at Emirates.
Aston Villa under Emery is owning an impressive 11-game winning streak. After the comeback against Chelsea, Ollie Watkins praised his head coach as a tactical genius. This striker contributed to the breakthrough personnel adjustments, helping Villa reverse the situation.
Against Chelsea, Villa faced difficulties in the first hour of play, but Emery found a solution to change the game. In fact, their winning streak was not easy when many opponents often had better expected goal scores, but were still defeated by Villa with a narrow margin.
And when Emery emphasized the resilience of his students after the match at Stamford Bridge, it shows that this team is not only strong in technique and tactical organization, but also possesses admirable bravery.
Villa has won 18 points from losing matches - more than any other team in the Premier League. That is the effort of Emery when turning Aston Villa into a truly formidable opponent.
All we are doing is because we have this potential. I set high standards, the players are strictly complying. And they are maximizing their ability" - Emery said.
And that is a worrying prospect for Arsenal, a team that has recently shown signs of losing opportunities. They have continuously conceded late goals in matches against Crystal Palace and Wolves, and have also experienced a similar scenario in the most recent encounter with Villa. Emi Buendia scored the decisive goal in the last minute to create a shock against the Premier League leader.
A big challenge or rather an opportunity for Villa to continue to repeat that feat in north London. If they can do it, they will equalize points with Arsenal at the top of the table. That will be an impressive end to the year, and standing on par with Arsenal is also very suitable for Villa's positioning.
In recent months, Villa has shown that they are capable of playing fairly with Arsenal. Like the "Gunners", they have won all 10 recent home matches. But like Arsenal, Villa sometimes still reveals weaknesses, especially every time he leaves his holy land.
In the last 6 away matches in the Premier League, Villa has conceded the opening goal - before waiting for the ability to turn things around, which is considered Emery's innate talent.
However, conceding a goal against one of the best defenses in the league may be too heavy a problem for Villa at this time. If the Spanish captain really wants to take the team to a new level, this is the most rigorous tactical test.
I am very excited about Arsenal's current form, with Arteta's way of working. I want to face opponents at the highest level. And this is the opportunity" - Emery added.
This match also contained many emotions for Emery, who used to lead Arsenal in the 2018-2019 period. He was assigned the task of steering the team in the post-Arsene Wenger era, but things did not go according to expectations. Therefore, there is always a feeling that Emery will return to Emirates with the determination to prove himself.
