On the surface, it seems an absurd question: how on earth can an Aston Villa side that is currently sitting 9th in the Premier League table be a more formidable obstacle for Arsenal than Liverpool’s quadruple-chasing side, which won at The Emirates in midweek to maintain their hot pursuit of Manchester City at the top of the League? And yet there are a number of potential pitfalls lying in wait for The Gunners at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime, which they will have to avoid if they are not to succumb to a second successive loss.
The Test That Aston Villa Will Provide Arsenal
Liverpool Was a Free Hit – Villa Could Be a Very Expensive Hit
At the moment, Liverpool, even playing away from home, are obviously a far better side than Aston Villa. However, it is precisely because Liverpool are such a great side that on Wednesday many Arsenal fans (and perhaps even a few players) regarded their match with them as something of a free hit – a game whose result was ultimately unimportant, because for all of Arsenal’s progress this season under Mikel Arteta they still remain (as was demonstrated conclusively by Liverpool) some way behind the Merseysiders.
Aston Villa away is the complete opposite – a match that, if Arsenal lose it, could be a very expensive hit to their hopes of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League next season. It is away from home, against a side who are obviously still adapting to their new manager, the legendary Steven Gerrard, but who have shown a significant improvement in form recently, thrashing Leeds United away before losing only narrowly away to West Ham United, another Champions League contender, last weekend.
In addition, Villa did the League double over Arsenal last season, first winning 3-0 away at The Emirates and then winning 1-0 at home. Obviously, an enormous amount has changed for both teams since last season, not least the all-important return of fans to grounds as the pandemic finally eases, but that is still a reminder of how dangerous Villa can be. Indeed, in total they have won three of their last four Premier League games against Arsenal.
There are also other obstacles for Arsenal to overcome.
The Physical Challenge
Because they have not been in European competition at all this season, and were knocked out of both domestic cups in January, throughout 2022 Arsenal have become accustomed to playing rarely – once a week, if that – and have not had to cope with any kind of fixture congestion or “pile-up” of games. Consequently, if they are not careful, they may be taken by surprise at Villa Park, against a Villa team who, unlike Arsenal, did not have a game midweek and so will be fully rested and focused for this visit of the Gunners.
Although the Liverpool game somewhat petered out after Jurgen Klopp’s side scored two early goals in the second half, Arsenal will still doubtless be experiencing some symptoms of fatigue after coming up against probably the best pressing side in the world. Villa will know that and are likely to come out of the gate all guns firing, in the hope of taking Arsenal by surprise early on.
The Mental Challenge for Arsenal
In addition to the physical demands of the Liverpool game, it was also a significant mental challenge for Arsenal. It was an opportunity for them to see how far they have come under Arteta and ultimately the gap between themselves and Liverpool, and Manchester City (the other gold standard-bearer in the Premier League and indeed European competition), remains considerable.
Now, however, it is time to forget all about Liverpool and any aspirations of joining them at the top of the League. Arsenal have to concentrate fully on facing a young, hungry, rested Villa side who will be absolutely desperate to boost their own credentials, and Steven Gerrard’s chance of acquiring new and better players in the summer transfer window, by taking out Arsenal.
And there is one other X factor to consider.
The Stevie G Effect
Arsenal will be grateful that they will face a Steven Gerrard who is confined to the dugout and not free to roam around the pitch to devastating effect, as he did so often against Arsenal (and almost any other side he faced) throughout his career, from the 2001 FA Cup Final to the succession of thrashings that Arsenal suffered against Liverpool in the last decade.
Nevertheless, even in his short managerial career so far, Gerrard has shown every sign that he will replicate, if not better, his success as a player on the sidelines. He led Rangers to the Scottish title last season, in the process ending Celtic’s hopes of becoming the first team north of the border to win 10 league titles in a row. And whatever the Glaswegian grumbles about the manner in which he left Ibrox for the Midlands, that achievement alone will ensure he remains forever a Rangers legend.
Of course, the endgame as a manager for Gerrard is to manage his beloved Liverpool, but as he has often said himself (notably when he arrived at Villa) the only way he will ever get a chance to manage at Anfield is if he does well at other clubs beforehand. Villa affords him exactly that opportunity: a former winner of the European Cup (a competition that Arsenal, of course, have never won) that may have fallen on hard times in recent decades, culminating in demotion to the Championship, but which is seemingly on the way back up again.
In particular, in recent games Gerrard has followed his gut instincts and played both his main strikers, Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings, with considerable success. Such a “front two” pairing is unusual in the Premier League and it is exactly the kind of tactical shift that Arsenal’s defence, which has been so impressive recently (at least until the Liverpool game), will not have faced very often this season or indeed in recent seasons.
So, when everything is taken into account – the physical and mental challenges of playing an away game just a few days after a dispiriting home defeat, their recent poor record against Villa and, perhaps most importantly, Steven Gerrard’s burning desire to really announce himself in the Premier League with a signature win over a Champions League contender – it is definitely arguable that Villa away is a bigger test for Arsenal than Liverpool at home. If they can overcome it, they will prove that they are genuine top four contenders. But if they do not, all the old questions about flaky, shaky Arsenal will return.
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