Arsenal FC had a disappointing weekend in the Premier League as they lost 3-0 to Aston Villa. After the game, manager Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports that they didn’t play as a team and that he takes full responsibility for the disastrous result.
The North London club came into this game in good form, but just could not keep it going. Villa took the lead after an own goal from Bukayo Saka, and Ollie Watkins added a quickfire brace later to seal the rout and the three points.
Arteta was disappointed with his team’s display and felt their performance was well below standards. This was particularly evident in the way the second and third goals were conceded as Villa just found it too easy.
Despite being given a let off by VAR which denied a goal for the visitors, the Gunners simply could not get into the game. They were not able to set the tempo or control the game and they paid for that.
Regarding this, the boss added:
“I take full responsibility. We didn’t start well enough, we got away with VAR for an offside situation, but we lost all the races, the duels and we were sloppy on the ball.
“When we created chances we didn’t hit the target. It’s a really bad combination. We left spaces and on the counter we looked really vulnerable. I am responsible to make the team perform on the pitch and today we were not a team and it is my job. It is why I am standing here.”
With clubs heading into the international break now, it will give the manager some time to figure out what went wrong. The team that started at the Emirates looked so different to the one that defeated Manchester United last week.
The Gunners didn’t create many chances and were not able to take what came their way. Despite having some great offensive talent, they could not turn the game around and this defeat leaves them in 11th place in the league table.
Once the international break is over, the North Londoners will be heading to Leeds United. This is a tough match, but they will be hoping to bounce back and continue their push towards the Champions League spots.
Arsenal must look to put this showing behind them and focus on winning the next one. This is a talented bunch of players who just did not click on the day. Arteta may want to have different tactics next time round that could lead to an improved performance from the players.