The Gunners somehow managed to prevent Villa from scoring & then had the quality to score 2 sublime goals in the second half. Sweet victory at a tough away ground.
On Saliba I still think that Marseille loan was so needed. There were quite a few games for them where he really wasn’t very good thinking Lens, Lyon, and a European game against Galatasary. But he learned from it and some great coaching from Arteta has also helped him develop into the player we have now.
Glad to get the win and clean sheet at Villa Park after last season. Glad to see Partey get a goal. And Raya?! Wow! Awesome win! I see Leo starting next week.
Rice in that position just did not work at all... until suddenly it did (around the 80th minute) and you can see why he plays there. But for most of the game having our best defensive midfielder ahead of the ball for turnovers was suicidal.
It's nice to hear praise & balance when you talk about other teams, we're all gunners here but giving praise to opponents where it's due is missing from lots of other fan/journalistic content.
So David Raya, last season in his very first game against the mighty spuds at home last season. I remember he did an amazing last gasp save then against Brenan Johnson in the 1st. You remember? And the camera cut to Ramsdale on the bench applauding, some thought sarcastically.
Trossard always has to wait for a chance, and then when he gets his chance and takes it, he’s benched again. Martinelli is worryingly ineffective when it comes to end product, I hope we address this shortfall before the window closes.
Great win today! Fully agree Trossard deserves a start next game. Martinelli has not convinced so far, he's far too predictable and the end product is lacking at present. Not entirely sold on Timber at left back to be honest, but then again he's playing out of position with and underperforming Martinelli in front of him. But the fact that we had 2 left backs on the bench today is somewhat telling for how Arteta view Zinny in the big games, but Calafiori looks promising. On a side note, happy for ESR today, great goal for Fulham.
Martinelli looks so far off it. I really hope he improves his decision making, final ball and takes players on with some more conviction. Hopefully merino and timber will improve the left hand side. How long can we persist with the "he needs to find some confidence?" The answer is not very long when you are trying to win a title. We need him to work this season if we want to have a chance but I don't know what Arteta can do
If it will take some time for Saka to find his true level this season, based on his performances in these first two games, I'm really excited for that!
James, just look at Trossard's run in for the opening goal, obv there's a pass and a finish, but his run in ends up nice, and I love that proactive mindset.
Both Villa opportunities were fortuitous. First was a press, and foul on Gabriel and the second came about from a speculative deflection. Villa was defensive and played to counter. They never broke us down. We took the initiative, created many chances - Saka's shot and save by Emi, Ødegaard's reverse pass to Saka where he shouldn't have taken a touch but should have shot, Martinelli's pass to Havertz where he shot wayward, the two goals, then the Ødegaard miss from Rice's pass.
Great content James I enjoyed your views on Trossard and surely he needs to be starting and Raya was amazing. I'm concerned James that we need recruitments this week as Jesus is unreliable due to injuries and if we move on Eddie we only have Havertz lets hope.
If we had a 1v1 to win the champions league, I would want it to be Saka. For every single reason you can imagine. His contributions to start the season (after a grueling summer) have been emphatic and Match winning.
Martinelli picked because Mikel anticipated the usual high line...I think he tried and contributed. Dec was a worry but grew. Thomas played well, overall. The older I get , the more I realise...'s☆d it, we won'😅 is the right way to view it...
I don't think Arteta would say he was ever unconvinced about Saliba. I think he would tell you it was part of the player's development plan. Then he would say it is down to the player and the process and credit to the player because he is showing how good he is. Go ahead and ask though :)
Think of the signing situation like this. If Odegaard gets injured it's season over and if Saka gets injured it's season over. Additions are an absolute must. The right side of the pitch has 0 plan b options. ESR & Vieira gone, Nelson not good enough and Nwaneri is extremely young and inexperienced. I know I sound paranoid but it's worrying.
James you have to ask this Arteta at some point - 06:57. I'm sure he'll give a reserved answer as always, but he might answer more honestly, you never know.
Martinelli plays like a player who has Arteta in his ear saying "stretch the play" when really he wants to go central and shoot. I wish he would do the latter
I feel like Trossard is best for any games with low blocks or higher quality of opponents because of his game intelligence. I think Martinelli would be best against high lines, so european games in general or massively weaker opposition.
Martinelli scores against city and Liverpool last season. He always seems to score vs Liverpool. Let's wait and watch - Arteta needs to figure this out because we know how good martinelli can be.
Trossard really is clutch. Jurrien timber is class and first choice left back for sure. David Raya is unbelievable and a great shot keeper when called upon! Thomas partey is such a conundrum and Ben white is a hero! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😄
I disagree that arsenal were lucky today. Villa's first chance was clear foul and the second was a rebound off the crossbar off a deflected shot. It seems incomplete to call it lucky not to concede in such situations
I think Trossard is the ultimate super sub. Does not start as well as Sub. Gabby is not a great sub. I like the way they work now. We are playing like Arteta played for us. No risk football . Flair players ( Martinelli) are trimmed a bit to temper their flair. Hopefully Martinelli can stretch himself to make himself better..
Jesus just doesn't appear to be the goal scorer we want, but he runs his ass off, and has many very good qualities. Why not play him as the left 8 behiind Merino?
![Quando Rondo - Life Goes On [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eIf3fhMXAow/mqdefault.jpg)
Trossard showed some proper attitude when he scored!! Love it
Love ittt too😮, bro!!😂😅
Stone cold, best finisher the club has had in years.
The Gunners somehow managed to prevent Villa from scoring & then had the quality to score 2 sublime goals in the second half. Sweet victory at a tough away ground.
Surprised you didn’t mention the best part of the night, Ben white smashing the ball at McGinn 😂
Quality moment from Benny Blanco
108 points to go...6 in the bag...COYG 💪‼
Trossard has been better than Martinelli on the left wing for several months now
Villa rode their luck with us last season so they totally deserved not getting a thing in this game.
Intelligent insights, enjoyed that and agreed with all of it.
On Saliba I still think that Marseille loan was so needed. There were quite a few games for them where he really wasn’t very good thinking Lens, Lyon, and a European game against Galatasary. But he learned from it and some great coaching from Arteta has also helped him develop into the player we have now.
Gunnerblog getting burgled on air 😂😂😂
How many burglars mate?
The ghost of martinez
Lol
Love your levelheaded takes. You sre always respectful in your analysis. Unlike the tribalism on twitter.
Raya’s saves again. Man’s GOATED!
Composure in the big moments. Beautifully summed up James. I’d add clinical finishing
Glad to get the win and clean sheet at Villa Park after last season. Glad to see Partey get a goal. And Raya?! Wow! Awesome win! I see Leo starting next week.
On point as usual James. Gooner from from South Africa
Listening to Gary Neville commentate on Arsenal games genuinely lowers my ability to enjoy watching.
Love listening to your break down of the games. Truly the best and greatly appreciated. Cheers James.
Brilliant as always James!👍
2 down 36 to go COYG!
Did anyone else see the Xhaka goal against Borussia M'gladbach ?
A screamer!
Rice in that position just did not work at all... until suddenly it did (around the 80th minute) and you can see why he plays there. But for most of the game having our best defensive midfielder ahead of the ball for turnovers was suicidal.
Very good point
Early stages of new position. He will need to adjust but trust the process. Same way arteta did with Havertz. Stay patient.
Very well said and completely agree with everything you picked up on 👍
Good win from less than great performance
Great result keep going with the great content
It's nice to hear praise & balance when you talk about other teams, we're all gunners here but giving praise to opponents where it's due is missing from lots of other fan/journalistic content.
So David Raya, last season in his very first game against the mighty spuds at home last season. I remember he did an amazing last gasp save then against Brenan Johnson in the 1st. You remember? And the camera cut to Ramsdale on the bench applauding, some thought sarcastically.
Agreed with you entirely about Trossard
‘S football IQ and it is not luck. He has been so underrated 😢
Trossard always has to wait for a chance, and then when he gets his chance and takes it, he’s benched again. Martinelli is worryingly ineffective when it comes to end product, I hope we address this shortfall before the window closes.
Martinelli tires them out and Trossard comes on and scores. In Arteta we trust
At last somebody who doesn’t want to play the media narrative fed to them to diss their own team
Raya and Saliba. 🙏🏿 🙏🏿 🙏🏿 🙏🏿
Great Show!
Great win today! Fully agree Trossard deserves a start next game. Martinelli has not convinced so far, he's far too predictable and the end product is lacking at present. Not entirely sold on Timber at left back to be honest, but then again he's playing out of position with and underperforming Martinelli in front of him. But the fact that we had 2 left backs on the bench today is somewhat telling for how Arteta view Zinny in the big games, but Calafiori looks promising.
On a side note, happy for ESR today, great goal for Fulham.
Luck on the road and a ton of fight. Great win!!
Martinelli looks so far off it. I really hope he improves his decision making, final ball and takes players on with some more conviction. Hopefully merino and timber will improve the left hand side. How long can we persist with the "he needs to find some confidence?" The answer is not very long when you are trying to win a title. We need him to work this season if we want to have a chance but I don't know what Arteta can do
Yep, I love the guy but I seriously think he could be dropping lower on the pecking order.
Just amazing
Agree with your analysis on Rogers. He caused big problems for our midfield
If it will take some time for Saka to find his true level this season, based on his performances in these first two games, I'm really excited for that!
Thank you, James!!
excellent win, certainly an early marker for the season
James, just look at Trossard's run in for the opening goal, obv there's a pass and a finish, but his run in ends up nice, and I love that proactive mindset.
Trossard again trossard again trossard again Aliez aliez. COYG
good listen
cheers
Both Villa opportunities were fortuitous. First was a press, and foul on Gabriel and the second came about from a speculative deflection. Villa was defensive and played to counter. They never broke us down. We took the initiative, created many chances - Saka's shot and save by Emi, Ødegaard's reverse pass to Saka where he shouldn't have taken a touch but should have shot, Martinelli's pass to Havertz where he shot wayward, the two goals, then the Ødegaard miss from Rice's pass.
Bossard strikes again.aybe not our prettiest win. But a win none the less.
Great content James I enjoyed your views on Trossard and surely he needs to be starting and Raya was amazing.
I'm concerned James that we need recruitments this week as Jesus is unreliable due to injuries and if we move on Eddie we only have Havertz lets hope.
I think Rice needs a long rest. Bet he is knackered
🔴 Give Partey the credit he is due James, its OVERDUE! Last week quick to talk Partey name, this week quiet! 🔴
If we had a 1v1 to win the champions league, I would want it to be Saka. For every single reason you can imagine.
His contributions to start the season (after a grueling summer) have been emphatic and Match winning.
Good luck for the new season gunners all over the world. This should be our year. But I feel we need one signing in the forward department.
Martinelli picked because Mikel anticipated the usual high line...I think he tried and contributed. Dec was a worry but grew. Thomas played well, overall.
The older I get , the more I realise...'s☆d it, we won'😅 is the right way to view it...
I don't think Arteta would say he was ever unconvinced about Saliba. I think he would tell you it was part of the player's development plan. Then he would say it is down to the player and the process and credit to the player because he is showing how good he is. Go ahead and ask though :)
Think of the signing situation like this. If Odegaard gets injured it's season over and if Saka gets injured it's season over. Additions are an absolute must. The right side of the pitch has 0 plan b options. ESR & Vieira gone, Nelson not good enough and Nwaneri is extremely young and inexperienced. I know I sound paranoid but it's worrying.
we did get muscled off the ball and caught in possession alot, which was unusual… 😮 still, a clean sheet and three points.
FYI, it is possible to big up Trossard and not be harsh on Martinelli. Why bring the negative in at all?
Trossard the clear starter, with Fabio Vieira going out on loan, Martinelli would be feeling unsettled
DAVID RAYA
Hi James,
What's your thoughts on our links to the young winger Les Doudis?
Let's go
James you have to ask this Arteta at some point - 06:57. I'm sure he'll give a reserved answer as always, but he might answer more honestly, you never know.
Martinelli plays like a player who has Arteta in his ear saying "stretch the play" when really he wants to go central and shoot. I wish he would do the latter
I feel like Trossard is best for any games with low blocks or higher quality of opponents because of his game intelligence. I think Martinelli would be best against high lines, so european games in general or massively weaker opposition.
Martinelli scores against city and Liverpool last season. He always seems to score vs Liverpool. Let's wait and watch - Arteta needs to figure this out because we know how good martinelli can be.
Comment to help James
So, compared to last year, why did we win Mr Arteta? We scored, they didn't.
Trossard really is clutch. Jurrien timber is class and first choice left back for sure. David Raya is unbelievable and a great shot keeper when called upon! Thomas partey is such a conundrum and Ben white is a hero! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😄
Arsenal player ratings vs Aston Villa:
Raya - 8
White - 7
Saliba - 8 (motm)
Magalhães - 7
Timber - 7
Ødegaard - 7
Partey - 8
Rice - 7
Saka - 8
Havertz - 6 (lowest rated starter)
Martinelli - 6
Trossard - 7
Calafiori - 6 (lowest rated player)
Nelson - 6
Arteta - 8
Now we wait for the Villains at home, revenge will be VERY sweet indeed, they, in effect, cost us the title. 😱
thought calafioris cameo was awesome as well
Tbh, we were poor for the first 60/65 mins, but we got the job done and that's all that matters!
Leonardo “Divock Origi” Trossard!
Spoke of Rogers and that X factor. He looked to me a slightly more refined and experienced, Smith-Rowe.
Nah, we need to know, WHAT FELL OVER?
The moment I changed my mind about Mikel is when he changed his about Saliba…
Moronic comment.
Haunted mate
I disagree that arsenal were lucky today. Villa's first chance was clear foul and the second was a rebound off the crossbar off a deflected shot. It seems incomplete to call it lucky not to concede in such situations
👍👍👍
With the winning the crowd, didn’t he have that with the penalty shoot out in the champion’s league?
Martinelli needs competition from a fast winger. Jesus Injured AGAIN! We need to upgrade for a real shot this season.
must admit we were a bit lucky with Raya‘s magnificent saves but fxxk the Villa 😂
I think Trossard is the ultimate super sub. Does not start as well as Sub. Gabby is not a great sub. I like the way they work now. We are playing like Arteta played for us. No risk football . Flair players ( Martinelli) are trimmed a bit to temper their flair. Hopefully Martinelli can stretch himself to make himself better..
Letssssdodisssss
Timber was horrendous
Hey unai have a bloody horrible ebening
Which were some of Timber's bad moments?
Was a dull game first half. Very professional but…. We need a speedster in that from line. Too pedestrian.
Saved by the output king.
Trossard top scorer this season...?
Villa Park looks like a bedroom to me
Hungary? Is that a country? I’ve heard of Turkey
Timber did not impress me offensively. His positioning off the ball is awkward compared to Zinchenco when it comes to being available for a pass
Yep, seemed to be hiding behind the Villa midfield, making himself unavailable to receive the ball.
We may need to manage our expectations. He is certainly better then Zinny
Martinelli is very predictable & ineffective,
Trossard is more dependable..
James looking like an egg. Please bring the beard back pal!
Trossard unlucky not to be starting BUT he has shown he's better finishing games than starting them
Third comment!!
Martinelli really poor.
God I hope city get relegated by the end of this season.
Jesus just doesn't appear to be the goal scorer we want, but he runs his ass off, and has many very good qualities. Why not play him as the left 8 behiind Merino?
Ramsdale wouldn't have needed to make a wonder save because he is much taller and would have caught the preceding shot
COYG ❤️🤍
No player ratings? 🫨