Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard maintains that his team did not deserve to lose to Aston Villa this evening. Despite falling victim to Villa’s impressive home form, Odegaard believes the Gunners outplayed their opponents in a closely contested game.
While Villa was physically present throughout the match, they did not create many clear-cut chances. Arsenal, on the other hand, had numerous opportunities but failed to capitalise, leading to their second defeat of the season.
Despite the outcome, Odegaard remains convinced that Arsenal was the superior team in the game and did not deserve to lose.
The midfielder said, as quoted by the BBC:
“In front of the goal we had enough chances to win the game. I felt they didn’t create anything apart from the goal. It happens sometimes.
“I had a few chances myself but the only thing you can do is keep going and bounce back in the next game. That’s what we will do.”
“We gave them an easy goal but after that we controlled it and should have scored. We didn’t deserve to lose, but that’s football.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
We deserved to get something from the game, but football is about taking your chances. At the end of each fixture, no one remembers the team that played better, we all talk about who won.
We have to start taking our chances in games. Otherwise, more defeats are on the way.
Once again you blew it, Odegaard.
2 great chances missed.
But once again went missing in a physical encounter. To lightweight.
Offered nothing.
I agree with Odegard in that we had more of the ball and created more chances than Villa, who earlier this week had dominated the match against Man City.At the end of the day however, we dropped 3 points when we ought to have at least drawn, much like our game at Newcastle.I am however not at all despondent with our performance ,but tactically Arteta really must get our front three to rotate as Martinelli and Saka are becoming so predictable stranded out wide when they ought to be given more license to move around to find space in the final third.Even switching wingers may disrupt opposition defenders and Jesus who I thought was very good in the first half today has performed well on the right wing for Man City and Brazil.We were the better side today, and despite the loss I am confident we will remain in contention for the title.The Villa goal was predictably set up by Bailey who ran off Zinchenko and managed to cross despite the efforts of Gabriel and Rice to McGinn who was not closed down by White. A poor goal to lose defensively, but credit to the players who quickly rallied and took the game to Villa thereafter.We have played a lot worse and won this season but we failed to take our chances today and paid the penalty .
What we need is a 20 plus goal striker.
I find it unbelievable that we are considered a title challenger yet have no recognised world class striker.
I have said before that Jesus brings great things to Arsenal yet will not bring many goals and Eddie – good lad that he is simply not good enough.
Imagine a free scoring midfield AND a 20 plus goal striker. Arsenal would be unstoppable.
I agree with Odegaard that we did not deserve to lose the match but he was also guilty. He didn’t have the presence of mind to score goals when he got through passes. But above all I will blame Zinchenko for the loss. He drifted away from his position to expose Gabriel and allowed Villa to score. What was he doing up field? I also blame the coach for picking Zinchenko ahead if Jacob Kiwior who dis well against Luton. I knew Villa boys will show us if we used Zinchenko and it happened. Arteta should pls stick to Kiwior instead of causing us heartaches packaged in Zinchenko pls.
Grandad An apt description , and I MUCH AGREE that our two winger are far too static when they never seem to roam far from their own wing.
Remember how George Armstrong back in tth 70’s used to often change wings and back during games!
I think MA reasons that by playing both on their natural best foot wings would mean crosses going to , effectively NOBODY as no one, HAVERTZ apart, has any height in attack.
And I also see that until we get some PROPER specialist scorers up front, it would mean fewer goals all round, IF(which I do NOT suggest) both changed sides permanently.
But I still think it would confuse defenders if both SAKA and MARTINELLI, roamed wing to wing and right across the whole area OCCASIONALLY. Both ARE too static amd it is costing us, IMO!
They were not static dear Jon yesterday but they lacked end product…..Saka and Martenelli had Enough chances to scores at least a goal each wich means that they were not static but lacked their scoring boots….
Pires Static means, in the context in which I used that word, that both did not change sides or play across the front line.
Both stayed almost excusively on their own given wing and that , used in context, means they WERE static!
I agree that both missed chances however.
Arteta have with his lack of impulse control given Arsenal opponents they never can beat, FA and the ref’s. There will be more disallowed goals in the future. Gunners will not win EPL 23/24.
A tough assignment last night to an ever improving team. Emery has done Arteta again in a vital game. Villa are the form team with Liverpool at the minute and Arsenal were not good enough. SIMPLES!!!!!
Sorry….
When was the last time Emery “did” Arteta?
This is Emery’s second season with Villa, and I seem to recall Arsenal winning both games.
It seems like you are ramping up for a moan about the manager.
We failed to put our chances away and that is it – look at Villa’s away form and they don’t quite seem to be the in form team at the moment. Great at home not so great away.
Arsenal losing is one of those things..
Thanks, @Me2 for the reply @Reggie.
Plus Me2 and Y3……. i said in an earlier post, Villa ARE the form team Emery has got them motoring, Emery knows how to play against Spanish managers and it would test us, in a proper game. Which it all did
Er, the last Vital game that meant a little more to BOTH TEAMS managed by both managers, the EL league that Emery won after he left Arsenal.
And Me2, nothing gives you the right to write or predict my opinions. It wasn’t a MOAN, it was a fact. And what i put is whst i put. If i want to moan, i wont be seeking your permission. PLONKER.
Me2, WHERE is the winging and whining in the post? It says Fact!
Fact according to you.
“Emery has done Arteta again.”
When?
Considering Arteta beat him TWICE last season – in Emery’s first season with Villa.
is that FACT to you?
You should get your facts right before posting.
You made crap up to criticise someone that you no doubt thought was doing a good job a week ago.
Me2 you obviously dont read properly. The word Vital was used (fact) last season was quite rightly Emerys first at a struggling Villa and they were not our close rivals, so not the vital game for both sides ambitious. Villa last season were a different animal. So yes this was a vital game. I dont get your post that says im saying something i am not saying. Im saying exactly what i said before the game and happened after it. Sorry for upsetting your poor liitle self.
@Reggie
RealTalk…👍🏾
Thanks NY, a tough game at an inform Villa.
“Again”? That means it has happened before. When was that then?
We deserved to lose, simple as that. When you concede and don’t score what do you expect?
Martinelli is good but most often, lack footballing brains. He get into good position so many times but his cross mostly cannot find a team mate. Just look at Bailey from Villa, the first cut back already find Mcguinn to score. That is the difference. Saka seems to be getting to complacent, does not want to do more, most of the time just pass back when he receive the ball.
One of the finest young players in the world lacks brains.
Saka being lazy and complacent.
Havre you ever thought they might have just had an off day?
When they next have a great game, I will remind you of those words.
How ridiculous can you get.
Good points.
Unfortunately, any kind of loss allows everyone and anyone to mouth off.
👍
Me2, me 2
Everyone is talking about odwgaard and martinelli yet no one mentions Gabriel Jesus. Twice he had the opportunity to run at the goal and into the 18 yard box and both time he chose to dribble and show boat then looses the ball, worst is he falls too easily. We didn’t play too badly but Arteta needs to bring eddie nketiah much more earlier and we MUST get a real goal poacher in January..
Fair play to villa, they did thier assignment properly.
On to the next game.
Exactly. Jesus is not the striker we can make progress with. He should compete at the wings. How many times will you see him upfront as a point man? Nketiah better in that aspect, Get a 20+ striker in January and we’ll custody PL and Cl.
Who was that Arsenal defender that allowed the opponent to break the ball, make a 180 degrees turn, and score?
How about trying this radical idea…..play a right footed player on the right and a left footed player on the left…..it might just work! Basically Saka and Martinelli swap sides, simples!
Spot on GB.When inversion isn’t working why not try “conventional” ?
See you like my suggestion GB – great minds and all that!! 😂😂😂
I think many of us have called it. Its so obvious, that variation is required now and then.
When you’r not clinical Martin you deserve to loose the game….
Honestly, I agree with Odegaard. Aston Villa didn’t do anything extra that Arsenal couldn’t do to win. The hard truth is, Arsenal
Will continue to fantasize and daydream about winning trophies if they continue like this. I’m my opinion these are the reasons for their loss:
* slow and inaccurate passing technique leading to wasted-balls
* shadowing-pressing the opponents
*poor defending
*lack of urgency/confidence
*not clinical in front of goal
*often breaking down the counter attack and giving the ball back to the keeper
*lack of physicality in midfield
* players (Arsenal) not creating spaces between the opponents to receive passes (the failed triangle)
They are nothing special and won’t be involved in the tittle race, another so called “threat” I urge you all not to worry about for the sake of your peace of mind.
Agree
Aston Villa is a good team but nothing more…..
So beating the two teams above them is nothing more than being good?
I seem to remember our fanbase went crazy when we beat city 1-0 at home!
We have some very disrespectful fans ken.
Never said they’re not a good team but nothing suggests they’re set to go toe to toe with the likes of us for the tittle considering what i see in their display, just strong top four candidates which i hope they achieve. “tittle race” my keyword if you bother to take note not mere “being good”.
Well beating the top two teams in last years league in consecutive games, suggests to me you dont have a lot of respect or idea of what Villa are doing. Im sure if it was us you opinion would be COMPLETELY different. So have a bit of perspective in your replies.
I’ve been told exactly what you said to me when i said spuds are not good enough to compete for the tittle when they were flying but those who think they’ve got a better insight think i was “talking nonsense”,being “a fool” and “lack respect” just like you said cos of their all out aggressive but basic “attacking football”. Well, dread all you want but i’ve given my take based on my observation, right or wrong we’ll find out.
And they DID go toe to toe “with the likes of us” beat us and City. Thats toe to toe and just 2 points behind. I really cant take what you say as serious.
Consistency wise over the season they can’t. Btw i’m not bothered about you not taking what i say as serious, it’s either you take it or leave it.
And no, what i see in us is different from villa’s. Nothing to do with bias at all. We are not in their category.
Spot on Vamos
A League is a marathon not a sprint……You don’t win it by being good in one or two games and you don’t win it in October (Spurs) nor in december…..
Who mentioned Spurs?
He was pointing a good example.
Reggie
Vamos gave an example about Spurs(like Villa) not being equiped to play for the title….Winning two games may it bé against City and Arsenal isn’t enough
Of course it would be completely different, for the obvious reason that we and Villa are two ENTIRELY DIFFERENT clubs!
What ELSE could any sensible fan even expect!
We lost to Villa principally because we failed to take the chances we had in the match to score.
But why did we failed to take our chances in the match to score which were many? I think it was down to our not been very efficient in front of goal to score by us when we SHOULD have scored. As we profgated in front of goal to not bury our chances which we created or that came our way in the match.
This is bad! For, us may not be the Epl title winners this season ( God forbids) if us don’t stop this lacklusteredness display in front of the opposition’s team goal. I have to say.
But thank God! As our failing last nifgt at the Villa Park is redeemable if us at home beat Brighten and West Ham . And in between also beat Liverpool at away to re take the control of the leadership of the league.
Therefore, this SHOULD be our primary focus and objective to achieve before the 2nd half of the season campaign begins. Meanwhile, Arteta and the Gunners SHOULD go to the tactical drawing board to start mapping out how Arsenal will achieve the collection of the maximum 9 points from their next 3 Epl matches unfailingly.
We lost, that’s it. To say you were better than your opponent, it does not register anything. This game needs goals to make you smarter than your opponent.
Here’s something many of you are either in denial about or simply missing the whole point. EMI Martinez was the big difference in the Villa win. All they had to do was concentrate on our left hand side(Zinchenko), put us off our game somewhat with decent defending and rely on their keeper to do the rest. Guess what, it worked…Jus sayin
We had most of the play and more attacking opportunities.
We need that striker who can take those chances – in fairness to Arsenal they don’t have that.
I don’t fancy our chances of signing one in January if ~I am honest – who would want to sell a striker in January?
@Me2
Most of the play and attacking opportunities mean Jack, if you can’t beat the keeper. They beat ours, we struggled to try and beat theirs…Just sayin.
Stop talking commin sense NY, its wasted.
A typically biased analysis. We had more opportunities than Villa, including shots off target and situations that should have been turned into good chances.
We did not test Martinez as much as we should even if he made some good saves.
Villa had just the one good chance that they turned into a goal.
Arsenal is very much in form and with the way some people have commented on here you would think they have gone on a Spurs like supernova of a crash.
Still, if we win the home game against Brighton it will all be all smiles and sunshine as it usually is.
Just remember, practically EVERY weekend we gain an advantage over at least one team in the top seven.
Still need that striker though….
You don’t always get what you deserve; it’s what they really mean when they say: “that’s football”.
Imo this is an “acceptable” loss, if such a thing exists. We weren’t truly defeated, played generally well but were just were on the wrong side of the fine margins against a very good side. We’ve been on the right side of that divide many times, but sometimes it’s just not your day.
Imo it shows we have a very solid team, but to improve further, we need more natural finishers in the side and/or fewer defensive mistakes – the cutting edge in both directions. Villa’s goal was pretty good tbh, could have been stopped of course, but no glaring errors from us imo, it was our finishing that was lacking in this game.
DAVI, easily the shrewdest post on this thread , together with Grandads , (further above).
Those apart , MOST of the other posts have been pointless squabbles and have said NOTHING of any substance , as is usually the case , in fact!