Arsenal pay the heavy price for an early game blunder

Arsenal face yet another loss today after an early game mistake from Cedric Soares. It's really disappointing. Arsenal had the ball a lot but really only played it around the field. Chances were taken poorly. It's no coincidence of course seeing as Aston Villas defense has been solid this year And Emiliano Martinez has been brilliant in goal.

^{Source: Arsenal}

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It's a long way to the top

Following Arsenals phenomenal form come the new year I could really see us climbing up to 4th place and secure a spot in the Champions League. Following the display of our last three matches I'm not so sure anymore. With 0-0 against Manchester United in which both teams played well. A shocking 2-1 defeat to the Wolves which I covered earlier in the week. And now this. 0-1 away to Villa following a poor display.

It was a good run but the performance level of 2020 is slowly returning. We keep the ball a lot but do little with it. Nicolas Pepe had a solid match today but he can't win a match alone. Hector Bellerin is wasting crosses and passes in the attacking 3rd of the pitch. Aubameyang was invisible all match. Willian comes on to do nothing. Holding, apart from some dribbling magic, was also having a bad day. It's a shame.

We might have to go all in on the Europa League to be able to secure Champions League this year. If we don't we might have to face a year without any European football as at this rate we might not even make it to the Europa League.

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Disaster following disaster

While the match last week was a disaster we might just be facing another one. Partey going down and holding his hamstring is not a good sign. He's been crucial to us this season and keeping him fit is key to see us performing well. In his time at Atletico Madrid he only faced one injury. In his time at Arsenal, now closing in on half a year, he's already been out twice and we may be facing a third time. Is it something he's picked up or is it the intensity and physicality of the Premier League getting the better of him? Who knows. We can only hope that todays injury was a small one and that he was taken off as a precaution.

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Ødegaard getting time

Seeing Ødegaard getting some game time again was great. I talked about my excitement of him joining Arsenal in this post. While he wasn't our savior today he was a shot of energy to the team. He seems to be secure with the ball in his feet and he has a precise passing play. The team seemed invigorated by his appearance but I could of course be speaking with my Norwegian patriotic glasses on. Let's hope he gets more game time in the following matches. I think it will do both him and the team good. Seeing as he's put right on free kicks and corners shows that Arteta sees something in him.

^{Source: Arsenal}

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Eyes forward

Arsenal needs to step it up a notch and we need an immediate response in the next match at home against Leeds on the 14th of February. That's eigth days away and one of the longest breaks the team has seen this season apart from the international breaks. Let's hope they spend the time well and return to the pitch with vigor.

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