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Arsenal have allowed 96 shots on their goal so far this season and there’s discontent from the stands towards Emery’s reign. Aston Villa need the make the most of this.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @VillaMarkPGH
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Aston Villa are fresh off of a goalless Monday night game that saw them draw against West Ham, but the real talking point of the game was Villa’s inability to find the back of the net.
Villa did not play badly against West Ham, one of the Premier League mainstays that should have beaten a newly promoted side. After a second yellow sending off for West Ham’s left-back Arthur Masuaku, Aston Villa looked to be very nervous on the ball and let some supreme chances with their man advantage fall by the wayside.
Dean Smith himself knows that his team should have probably had a goal or two against West Ham especially in front of the home support at Villa Park.
Smith said, “I’m satisfied with the overall effort and performance, but a little bit disappointed how we played when they went down to ten men.
I thought eleven v eleven, we were the better team.
We created the better chances and the bigger chances in the game. It’s those moments you need to take advantage of.”
Dean Smith and his Aston Villa side must absolutely make sure they’re taking any and all advantages against Arsenal this coming Sunday. Arsenal are currently sitting 7th on the Premier League table with two wins, two draws and one loss to their name early in their campaign.
The Gunners last match ended in a 2-2 draw against Watford. The result was shocking for Arsenal supporters and for good reason. They witnessed their team self-destruct after gaining a 2-0 lead after 32 minutes of play. Former Aston Villa man Tom Cleverley and Roberto Pereyra were the Watford goal scorers in a back and forth contest that handed Arsenal their second consecutive draw.
Why is this important to know if you’re an Aston Villa supporter? Because Arsenal gave up 30 shots to Watford. That, by all standards, is shocking from a team such as Arsenal. While Watford was only able to place nine of the thirty attempts on goal, Gunners Head Coach Unai Emery knows that this isn’t good enough and knows his side need to be miles better in defence.
It is absolutely vital for Aston Villa to get off on the right foot against Emery’s squad and to keep the trend going of peppering the Arsenal goal as much as they can. Arsenal has allowed 96 shots at their goal this season — the highest tally in any of Europe’s top five leagues.
The natives are getting restless when it comes to Emery as well. There are no punches pulled by the supporters of Arsenal and they have been more than vocal after back-to-back draws so early in the season. This may add pressure not only on Emery’s shoulders but the shoulders of the players as well. The Gunners will only have two days to prepare for Aston Villa as they play away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League before the Premier League fixture at the Emirates Stadium.
Letting shots happen at will, a somewhat congested fixture list, upset supporters… it seems as though there isn’t a better time to play Arsenal if you’re Aston Villa.
There would be no better delight for the travelling Villa supporters than taking all three points away at the Emirates for their second Premier League win of the season.
