Talking Points: Arsenal vs Aston Villa, 17th August 2013

The season opener for the Arsenal turned out to be a step in the wrong direction, after they were outplayed by a supposedly lesser side called Aston Villa. The Villans looked in the driver’s seat on very few occasions, but were able to get the better of Wenger’s men eventually, proving that luck has more to do with the result than statistical indulgence.

Arsenal had 16 shots as opposed to half of that from Paul Lambert’s men. With the 1-3 loss, Arsenal have now reset the meter for the record 20 years, that they had either won or drawn on the opening weekend. The last they lost was a 3-0 defeat by Coventry.

Buy Bye

Wenger needs to think about signings

Let’s get this out of the way first. Arsenal were lacking in many areas, although not as desperately as they should have. The defense needed a leg up, inspite of Bacary Sagna stretching to desperately keep the ball from slide past, on more than two occasions. The midfield looked the most content; content with just being able to create and seldom looking to pounce on a chance. Lastly, the attack, or simply Olivier Giroud, did more than he was expected to do, which was show up, and he even scored.

Arsenal need to buy, simple. A bloody Kieran Gibbs was replaced by Carl Jenkinson, who was never a left back to begin with. He might be decent in the position, but he is no Philip Lahm.

A man up front, a holding midfielder, a man between the sticks to threaten Szczesny out of his comfort zone and a center back to fill Vermaelen’s spot; that should complete Wenger’s shopping list. A 3-1 loss, zero spending and lackluster play on the first day back at work is by no means a sign of better things to come.

Villa’s Day Out

Benteke scored a brace

The Villans have not much to complain about today, with the exception of the knock that Nathan Baker took. Most decisions went their way, but fortune favors the brave. After letting in an easy opener for Arsenal, Villa bounced back and were led by their talisman, Christian Benteke.

Benteke, who dragged Aston Villa to 15^th last year, showed why he is the man to watch at Villa Park. He scored two out of two penalties, albeit not very commandingly, and made a menace out of himself in the final third. More often than not, Per Mertesacker looked over his left shoulder to spot Benteke scurrying past. At one occasion, Per was so consumed by Benteke’s movement, he completely forgot to check Fabian Delph’s foray, which thankfully struck the woodwork and spared the home side any blushes.

The Austrian Andreas Weimann and England’s Gabriel Agbonlahor are two to watch, with both of them firing in the pre-season games. Even Antonio Luna, the debutant left back found the net with a cool finish, leaving the visiting crown pretty satisfied.

Benteke was a proposed target for Wenger, but didn’t pan out well, and the former signed a long term contract with Villa, just like six others of last season’s squad. Score of 7 goals from 5 pre-season games should have put him higher up the ladder, but clearly Wenger has other plans.

With Shay Given’s departure, Villa do not have single player over the age of 30 in the squad, showcasing the young blood at hand and the ability to do much better than last year. Lambert has the resources to do justice to the Villa fans, and a top ten finish cannot be too much of a stretch.

The Arsenal Midfield

Jack Wilshere of Arsenal

The latest blow to the midfield came in the form of Mikel Arteta’s injury, and he is expected to be out for the coming six weeks, which is essentially well past the summer transfer window. In the meantime, Wenger looked to his trusted friend Rosicky to fill in the blank, and he looked the best out of the current crop.

Making quick turns and showing raw aggression to get to the ball first. The only thing that lacked was his finishing, and on two separate occasions, the technically gifted man from Czech Republic wasted clear chances to equalize. If Rosicky really wants to find a spot in the team, he will need to rule the final third, and he cannot afford to be lenient on himself, given the advanced age he is at.

Jack Wilshere showed us why he is still only 21, with a needless foul which apparently showcased ‘unsporting behavior’ at the half hour mark. A man in Wilshere’s playmaking position needs to keep clean because if he wishes to form the spine the wave forward, he will face a lot of challenges, and if he’s booked so early, the attack loses its teeth almost immediately.

The Bad Cop, Worse Cop treatment

Anthony Taylor – The referee in question

Anthony Taylor, the referee for the day, was well past ‘maybe he didn’t see it’. A total of 32 fouls which translated to 2 penalties, 10 yellow cards, two of which saw Laurent Koscielncy call it an early day. The second penalty, which saw Villa take the lead, was too harsh by any standard, but Taylor pipped it with Koscielny’s sending off, where it nothing more than a ‘get on with it lads’.

He pulled Ashley Westwood up for a foul and stopped the game when Arsenal clearly had possession and needed to play on. Right from disrupting free flowing football to bad decisions, Taylor ruined the experience of opening day for the home fans. His Wikipedia entry was soon defaced right after the game, but more mature steps need to be taken to ensure the game doesn’t suffer from incompetence.