Will injuries derail Arsenal? Are Villa now title contenders?

Arsenal count cost of defensive injuries

For Arsenal, defeat to Aston Villa was made more painful by the lateness of the decisive goal. But as Mikel Arteta pointed out, it could have happened sooner. “We gave two balls away that could have cost us the game before the actual goal,” he said.

The Gunners could not be accused of a lack of effort defensively. Time and again they hurled themselves in front of shots. Their total of seven blocks was their second-highest in a game this season. But the repeated last-ditch defending betrayed their shakiness.

Usually, they do not need those desperate interventions. But these are not usual circumstances, with Cristhian Mosquera having been added to a centre-back injury list which already included first-choice duo William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

The injuries called for Piero Hincapie and Jurrien Timber to start together for the first time at centre-back. The instability has taken a toll. Arsenal have conceded in four out of five games since Gabriel’s injury, having only done so in three out of 17 previously.

Villa were excellent but Arsenal were there to be got at. Their total of 2.27 expected goals against underlined the quality of the chances Villa were able to create. The figure accounted for roughly 25 per cent of Arsenal’s total across 15 Premier League games this season.

Gabriel and the rest can’t return soon enough.
Nick Wright

Are Villa now title contenders?

Aston Villa’s improvement in form that has seen them win nine of their last 10 games having failed to pick up a single win in their opening five Premier League games has taken time to convince. They were poor in their previous home fixture against Wolves.

After that narrow victory, Emery was facing questions about his side’s lack of goal threat, Villa ranking just above the bottom three for expected goals despite their promising run of results. But the last two games have transformed that perspective.

Their 4-3 win away to Brighton in midweek saw Villa create their best quality chances of any Premier League game this season, according to that expected-goals data. Emery’s side have followed that up with their second most creative display against the leaders.

Ollie Watkins and Donyell Malen can now both be considered in form, while Morgan Rogers was outstanding when driving at the Arsenal defence. Emiliano Buendia coming off the bench late on to score the winner underlined that Villa have some options now.

Enough to make them title contenders? Mikel Arteta suggested that the Premier League was self-explanatory, Villa moving up to second upon the final whistle [before being overtaken again by Man City], undoubtedly the form team in the competition. Emery is more circumspect about their prospects.

“I am not thinking of it,” he replied when Arteta’s comments were put to him in the press conference after the game. “I know 38 matches is very difficult. We are not a contender. If we were in the day 35, perhaps we can speak differently.” But it is not quite so clear.

With Liverpool in disarray, while Manchester City and Chelsea continue to look vulnerable, Villa have just inflicted a damaging defeat on probably the Premier League’s strongest side – the only one that has looked capable of running away with this title.

If form and fitness were to slow Arsenal’s early-season progress, leaving the door ajar for another team to capitalise on that, it is this maturing Aston Villa team, whatever Emery might claim, who are beginning to look like an outfit that might just walk through it.
Adam Bate

Chelsea’s striker issue: one goal in 14 and Delap’s injury

Chelsea’s goalless draw with Bournemouth hammered home the notion that Enzo Maresca has a centre-forward problem and it’s now impossible to ignore.

Chelsea generated plenty of territory, pressure and enough moments to suggest a big moment was coming but once again the decisive action inside the box simply wasn’t there. The spotlight inevitably falls on Chelsea’s starting striker – and the numbers are stark. The starting Chelsea centre-forward has just one goal in 14 Premier League games. It’s becoming a damaging trend and one that could put Maresca in a spot of bother soon enough.

And now, Liam Delap’s shoulder injury removes the one internal option who offered a stylistic alternative of more direct running, more physicality and more willingness to attack space. Chelsea’s shortage in attack is holding them back.
Lewis Jones

Cherki does the simple things and so much more

No one epitomised Man City’s class in victory over Sunderland more than Rayan Cherki, who completed the most dribbles (five) and created the most chances (six) of any player on the park, while chipping in with six defensive actions. His expected goals and assists total (1.21) was also a game high, alongside 111 touches of the ball.

He did not get the goal his performance deserved but a pair of assists – the second outrageously good – was enough to command a standing ovation from the Etihad crowd when he departed on 82 minutes. Cherki has now contributed as many assists (five) as he’s earned starts this season, and could have had two more had either Tijjani Reijnders or Erling Haaland taken presentable chances.

But it wasn’t the 22-year-old’s flair or skill that impressed Pep Guardiola most. It was his ability to execute the basics well, with an 88 per cent pass accuracy and seven ground duels won. “What I admire most is the simplicity,” Guardiola said, with a nod to Lionel Messi in the same breath. “What I learned from Messi is never make a mistake with the simple things. Never. Simple things he does perfectly.”
Laura Hunter

Simons finally has lift-off at Spurs

It has been a long time coming, but Xavi Simons finally has lift-off at Spurs.

A first Tottenham goal in a player-of-the-match display in the 2-0 home win over Brentford, Simons showed why the club paid £51m to sign him in the summer.

The Netherlands international shone playing in his natural No 10 role rather than out on the left wing, where he was positioned when he initially joined the club.

That issue contributed to a tough start to life in north London, as some questioned his arrival. But the only question being asked now is – why did he start on the bench in Tottenham’s last four games?

Handed his first start in nearly a month, Simons starred against Brentford, having the most shots (4) and shots on target (2) of any player in the match.

His assist for Richarlison’s opener, followed by his stunning solo goal, will give the 22-year-old huge confidence he had been lacking.

Asked at his post-match press conference whether it was a breakthrough performance for Simons, Spurs boss Thomas Frank replied: “Definitely. I’m so happy for him. He’s been working very hard. He’s a top pro.

“He’s so determined. He wanted it so badly in every aspect of his game, and it’s just a little bit of adaptation.”

It could also be a breakthrough display for Frank. His side produced their second-highest xG total in a Premier League game this season (2.15) and their most shots on target (7).

For now, the discontent and pressure around Frank has been lifted with Spurs fans finally treated to a positive home performance, with Simons at the heart of it.
Declan Olley

Bournemouth get back on track

Just one win in six games doesn’t read well for Bournemouth and Andoni Iraola but against Chelsea there was more than enough in the performance to suggest that this bad run will be snapped soon enough.

This felt far more like the Bournemouth we’ve come to associate with Iraola: full-throttle intensity, aggressive pressing triggers and a collective conviction without the ball that has been slightly dulled in recent weeks, especially in the meek 1-0 home defeat to Everton in midweek.

The hosts looked far more coordinated out of possession than they have during this mini-slump, closing passing lanes with clarity and forcing Chelsea into the kind of sterile dominance that rarely leads to high-value chances.

Iraola’s men won the expected goals battle 1.36-0.8, the shot count 13-11 and corner race 5-0.

They were brave, they countered with numbers and they consistently found ways to progress the ball into dangerous areas. The final action was lacking, as has been the theme recently, but the underlying process was firmly back on track.
Lewis Jones

Dewsbury-Hall adding goals to his attacking armoury

Much of the attention at Everton this season has rightly been on Jack Grealish’s performances on the left of their attack, but on Saturday it was his fellow playmaker Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who caught the eye with a virtuoso attacking display in the No 10 role.

The 27-year-old, who joined the Toffees from Chelsea in the summer, was at the heart of everything the home team did well at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, scoring his team’s late third goal to seal a comfortable win, moments after bending a shot against the post from the edge of the area.

That late strike was Dewsbury-Hall’s third in his last four Premier League games – just one fewer than he managed in his first 82 appearances in the competition beforehand – and if he can continue adding goals to his game at this rate, he will have proved an astute acquisition.
Rich Morgan

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