‘SENSATIONAL WIN FOR ARSENAL’ Arsenal PASS tough away test against Aston Villa | ESPN FC

this was a true test of Arsenal's title credentials what did you make of what their statement was with that two-nil win well it's great I mean we'll get into the details because it could have been diff different uh but you know when you play away against Villa we all know the record at home we know the record against Arsenal last year as you've mentioned it's early in the season so you don't have that Rhythm uh just yet maybe your legs are not in it 100% uh uh for the season uh but you know I think you almost have to say sensation win for them given the circumstance because you know what menest city have thrown The Gauntlet right and you have to keep up with that and to go away to Villa Park and survive to a degree uh uh because they did a couple of chances from Ali Watkins that he's got to put away who knows how that game goes but that's not what it's all about you you got to stay in the game and when opportunities come you have to punish the opponent that's exactly what Arsenal did and and K you know what we knew Manchester City and Arsenal are going to fight it out lipol who may be there may they may not we'll see but look I look at Arsenal two games two clean sheets five goals scored again by committee yeah I want to talk to you about the goals especially especially the first goal that came for Leandro trassard coming off the bench in fact it was his first touch tell me about the goal and also tell me what you made of his celebration or lack thereof of Celebration from Leandro tra here I don't know maybe he's uh you know he wants to play I don't know I mean I I feel that you know every player wants to be on the pitch from the beginning his role is Off the Bench and by the way I don't know what it meant maybe he meant absolutely nothing but I I I do think that L is much better of the bench he makes an impact he's done it over the last season and already this this season as well every time he starts I'm not saying that he plays badly but I just think that he's sort of that spark now Lando trossard would not want to hear that he wants to play from the beginning and I get that uh but yes the impact was uh was again massive and and you know I mean his to his substitution I mean there a couple chances after that where he played a big role with some great touches I mean I don't want to say he's changed the well no I do want to say he's changed the game didn't he once Thomas P's goal went in I think we all pretty much knew that it was going to go Arsenal's way against Villa for once well yeah and again I mean you saw I mean couple of significant points because you know a lot of players that I wanted to complain about uh you know Martinelli and and and Tom spte who I I still don't think is the ideal player the number six I thought he'd played a decent game but uh given the Villas press especially in in the Midfield you know the there needs to be somebody different maybe Mikel Marino when he comes in although he's not going to play in that number six role but he may change because Arsenal is still on Balan but you know you know what Mikel artetta is gonna say that second goal is important but more importantly you know Saliba and Jacob Ramsey you saw that recovery and that sliding tackle this is usually what managers go for and you know you spoke about lack of reaction lack of reaction from mandro chardan thato you saw the reaction from Saliba once he made that not just his reaction but reaction of the players because they knew how important that win uh uh was so early in the season uh against a team that they've struggled with uh so so look I mean it's so early in the season I am not looking for Perfection from anybody uh no team whatsoever in the second game of the season that will uh uh come in time but you have to look at that and wow I mean this win is going to go a long way in terms of confidence and that raise that we're all anticipating realistically speaking though yanish it did have to be a win today for our T's men didn't it it did I mean the margins are going to be so small again uh you know I was watching Manchester City commenting uh about it afterwards here on ESPN uh and and you look at manchest city and everybody's wondering well how are they going to get motivated uh uh are they still hungry enough we saw that in the first two games yes today you can say it's Z switch they went be behind but they answer that but of course the first game away at stf for bridge uh that was their Arsenal away to to Villa right so uh it's a small line I still think Manchester City squad is much deeper uh they're better equipped to deal with all the competitions and that includes of course the Premier League and as we know I think a couple weeks time right uh ARS has to go to manchest City so today I mean all three points that's massive even a draw that's two points lost say arsenal go to City and lose that's five points early we all know how tight this race has been last season well the season before was a little bit I think it was five points but Arsenal are are obviously at a point where they now have to prove that they're good enough to be the champions of the Premier League were you impressed with yurian Timber today yeah I think you know I mean there's there's great competition on that that's not a position I worry about right you know I mentioned a little bit of lack of squad at least if you compare Arsenal to uh um to manchest City that's not a position where I think Mikel aretta worries about uh that bench today by the way for Arsenal wasn't formidable that's why I kind of quietly mentioned the the the depth I do I know Mikel arteta Gabriel Jesus are gonna come but on that side you have uh you know K or zinchenko you have Timber you have kalaf furri I mean you had three center backs slash left backs and if if you had tomasu who can also play there and actually often plays better on the left left side than right side that's not a position that you worry about however for Timber was very very good him coming inside as as most left uh uh fullbacks at Arsenal have to do at times didn't do it a whole game but I thought tactically he was superb it's going to take him a little bit of time but I I think K you and I didn't have to really worry about timber because I do remember him even before he came into uh um uh came into came into Arsenal from his games in Holland and for Holland uh how how intelligent he was absolutely so let's stick more with the Arsenal Squad as you have been talking about and let's talk about Gabrielle shesus and his Fitness problems obviously we're seeing it once again today this has got to be frustrating for all parties Janes it is it is because even when healthy I think you know he's an honest worker he's going to give you a goal here and there and assist and you know he's going to cause problems but again we are talking about such a small margin for Arsenal to win it right and even today as I've mentioned I mean Ali Watkins puts away one of those two chances and who knows where the game where this game goes arah incredible on that on that on that header obviously how he saved that point blank I still don't know but you know for me that's an issue because Gabriel Jesus needs to be pushing HS neither of them is absolutely prolific and that's the difference right because you know best teams for me have a superstar or couple Superstars when needed they always deliver or almost always deliver we see that with earling Holland I mentioned that because these two teams fight against each other uh what he's doing already uh you know you can go I don't know Bayern Munich with Harry Kane you can go inter with Laro Martinez you could go you know I was going to say bar Barca and levandowski although I mean he's scoring but he's maybe not at his best uh Liverpool has Mo Salah you can sort of count on them and you don't feel that and you don't feel that with Arsenal and normally I would mention because they've scored enough goals last season by a committee but when that stops and often it does and you know they can score 90 goals but it's that one or two or three games where you just need somebody that's absolutely lethal right uh we often and I often or sometimes complain about earling Holland not a lot of touches not involved in game but you know when the time comes when it's important he puts it away so that is my issue with Arsenal because this is a team that's going to want to fight for all trophies right now but most importantly I think the biggest of them all is the Premier League trophy if not now when so you saying Kai havitz can't score 20 goals this season for Arsenal he may be but is that going to be enough it's 20 enough you know when you have a counterpart in Manchester City that score that scores 40 every season just about you know I you know so so again it could be enough last year as I said defensively Arsenal the best team in the league uh in terms of uh scoring goals they scored plenty and they came up short so uh uh this is just in general I think they're good enough uh they have proven it that they can they can play uh they they can challenge Manchester City but uh I don't know if yeah I mean if I had to say would I guarantee that Kai Howard scores 20 goals in the season no I I wouldn't put my house on that uh just going back as you've mentioned it a few times on the Villa side of things and olle Watkins with that Miss and obviously one of them was a big save as well from Rya he's got to be kicking himself after this game though I Emory too yeah well but but that's the difference even talking about Arsenal and and look it's just two games but what if what if and and I I've I've talked about it before the season uh just just looking at at Aston Villa what if Ali Watkins doesn't score the sort of the number of goals that he scored last year already two games no goals again just two games uh he can get going in any given time but sometimes that's what happens and and your team suffers uh uh so if you look at Villa they've done everything I mean dis discipline wise and tactically in the center of the pitch I thought Villa were excellent especially in the in the in the first half in the second half just as much they made Arsenal looked predictable which wasn't a big problem because obviously Arsenal liked their game in a wide areas uh Arsenal still unbalance and much more dangerous I think on the right hand side than they are are on the left I think Mikel Marino is going to change that uh but for Villa couple losses uh the you know look the pressure for Astin Villa is much different than the one uh for Arsenal they won't admit that but it's true Aston Villa will not be winning the Premier League title they just got to make sure that they continue to stay in the top four so I don't worry about Villa after what I saw today because it was very very impressive and it could have very easily uh been an Aston Villa win however the jury is still out if they're as good as they were last season I I'll wait for that okay but I'm going to ask you very very early just to wrap up here today is it too early to say that this is a statement win for Arsenal well it is a statement win uh for Arsenal for sure that nothing has changed normal normal service has resumed right there's no drop off whatsoever two games two wins I'll repeat again two clean sheets very good defensively great goalkeeping uh and already five goals scored uh uh on the season so uh uh yes it's a statement we're here uh we're ready to fight Manchester City for the title [Music]