Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal: Substitutes Make The Difference.

By: jg | December 21st, 2011

A shaky performance, but we won. So, Yay?
SOCCER-ENGLAND/

An early pelanty goal from Robin van Persie, taking his tally to 34 goals in the calendar year, and a late goal from Yossi Benayoun (from a header, no less) secured a nervous, underperforming, but ultimately crucial midweek win at Villa Park today. Marc Albrighton’s temporary equalizer had the distinction of being the 20,000th goal scored since the Premier League’s founding (So now Villa have a bit of history to tell that doesn’t come from the 1980’s.)

Although I made much of Villa’s defensive and dour style in the preview, the home side started the game in a bright, offensive fashion. They pressured our players effectively and kept us in our own half for much of the game, right from kick-off. The first decent chance came for Villa, in the 6th minute. An N’zogbia cross found Agbonlahor, who headed it to the far corner. However, Szczesny did well to catch the shot. Villa continued to impress, and in the 11th a dangerous low cross was impressively claimed by Szczesny. However, this was bizarro world, because Arsenal took the lead against the run of play. In the 16th minute, Walcott ran into the box and was held back by Ciaran Clark. Ref called the penalty. For those that didn’t catch the match, the penalty might be what you’d call a soft call, since Walcott didn’t go to the ground. However, Walcott was definitely held back by Clark, and that’s a technical foul, and a penalty. Anyways, van Persie stepped up and confidently smashed it into the roof of the net to make it 1-0. He now has 20 goals this season, and 34 league goals this calendar year, equaling Henry’s record. Two more and he overtakes Shearer!

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Following the goal, one would have been forgiven to think that we go on top, get a few more goals, and put the game on cruise control. Not quite. Villa didn’t give up and, to their credit, continued to push forward and take control of the game. What certainly didn’t help was our less-than-impressive passing. We were playing at a way too high tempo, and we would lose the ball almost as quickly as we won it. Frimpong in particular was guilty of this. Villa continued to threaten, especially from crosses, but nothing came out. One wonders how this game would have turned out had poacher extraordinaire Darren Bent had been fit for this one. A bit of a lucky break for us, no doubt. Still, we fashioned some chances ourselves. In the 36th minute, van Persie released Ramsey with a delightful one touch pass. With only Guzan in front of him, and Walcott approaching from the right, Ramsey was in a promising position. Unfortunately, he blasted the ball over. Bah. The rest of the first half came and went with Villa still dominating, but with us still holding our (Slender) lead.

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As the second half started, no changes were made in personnel and no changes were made in the rhythm of the game either. Villa continued to press, attack us from the flanks, and just outplay us. We were made to pay for our complacency and idleness when Villa got the equalizer. In the 54th minute, a Villa long ball was met by Vermaelen, who unfortunately headed it pretty dismally to Mertesacker, with Albrighton lurking. Mertesacker, already on a yellow, was too far from the ball to confidently challenge it, and Albrighton swiftly poked the ball away from the German and set himself up for a one-on-one with Szczesny, confidently placing the ball into the corner of the net. 1-1, and you have to say Villa deserved it.

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The goal was the zenith of Villa’s performance today, and it showed. However, we almost reclaimed the lead after conceding. An Arsenal corner was taken and Mertesacker managed to hit a sweet volley that Guzan did very well to palm away. Unlucky for us. Afterwards, though, Villa continued to take charge of the game- at one point, they were at 70% possession. It was simply mediocre stuff from us, and mercifully Wenger acted relatively quickly and subbed off Frimpong for Rosicky in the 65th. Our game improved almost immediately. Rosicky’s better range of passing and better technique made things much easier for us midfield, and was key to our eventual winner. We were getting the ball more often, keeping it for longer, and just generally doing more positive things with it. Our defense improved as well, as Villa started to fade as well. We had a half-decent shout for a penalty, in the 78th minute, when van Persie seemed to go down in the box after contact with Aston Villa Defender. However, the ref had none of it and actually booked van Persie for diving. Trying stuff. Wenger went for it and brought on Arshavin and Benayoun for Gervinho and the disappointing Ramsey with 10 minutes to go. At least he didn’t bring on Chamakh. Arsenal started to dominate the last minutes of the game as we created several chances around Villa’s box. van Persie blasted a half-chance over, Rosicky had a shot well blocked by Dunne… it was make it or break it time for the Gunners. Eventually, thankfully, delightfully, we found our breakthrough. 3 minutes from time, a van Persie corner was met by the unmarked head of Benayoun, who headed it into the net. 2-1, and that’s how it would end, but not before major Spurs douchebag tried to break Vermaelen’s legs with a crunch tackle at the end. Dick got a two yellows in two minutes, no less than he deserved. Nevertheless, an important 3 points in the bag come the full time whistle.

SOCCER-ENGLAND/

Match Stats
Possession: Aston Villa 57%-43% Arsenal
Shots (on target): 10(4)-8(6)
Corners 7-15
Fouls: 10-8

On to the ratings:

Szczesny: 7 Saved well from an Agbonlahor header early on. Dealt comfortably with Villa’s dangerous crosses, particularly in the first half. Helpless on the goal. Another calm and assured performance from the SZCZ.

Coquelin: 6 Struggled with N’Zogbia initially, getting a booking in the process. Improved in the second half as he turned out a more composed performance in the second 45. A welcome alternative to using Kos at RB (for the time being), but it’s obvious that right-back isn’t his preferred position.

Koscielny: 7 As always, excellent in defending, although Agbonlahor wasn’t as much of a threat as he could have been tonight. His consistency is growing, and becoming noticeable to just about everybody.

Mertesacker: 6.5 Not a bad performance, and made some good tackles and interventions, as always. Struggled a bit when N’zogbia cut inside, drawing a yellow in one challenge. Was in an uncomfortable position for Villa’s goal, but that was more due to Vermaelen’s bad header.

Vermaelen: 6 His weird header led to Villa’s goal. A type of mistake you might see from someone like Squillaci or Miquel, either due to incompetence or inexperience. Still, other than that he had a decent game. Even the very best have occasional bad days at the office.

Arteta: 7.5 Co-Man of the Match I still think he isn’t getting the plaudits he deserves. Our midfield was pretty crappy today, but Arteta was individually excellent, keeping his mostly impeccable passing and bringing some composure to our midfield. His presence has been to the team’s great benefit, and has helped stabilize our midfield and add some steel and protection to our defense. Definitely our most understated player.

Frimpong: 5 Oof, not DEENCH, bro. His passing was way off, and just seemed too rash and outmatched for the occasion. Our game improved immediately once he left. A loan deal to another top flight club, just like Wilshere’s a few years ago, will do him wonders. Get it done, Arsene.

Ramsey: 5.5 Has definitely improved since the start of the season, but in recent weeks he seems to have hit a bit of burnout. His passing was a bit wayward, and missed the one good chance that was presented to him- he really needs to work on his finishing and timing. Starting from the bench on Monday might do him a world of good- right now Ramsey looks tired, out of sorts, and just not fully in there.

Gervinho: 6.5 Was flashy and lively as always, and did relatively well when tracking back. His switching wings with Walcott confused the Villa defenders. Unfortunately, no real end product. Subbed for Arshavin in the 80th minute.

Walcott: 6.5 A better game from Theo. Won the penalty, and was a handful down the flanks.

van Persie: 7.5 Co-Man of the Match Striker’s are valued according on what they produce, and today our captain was as productive as ever. Converted the penalty, and assisted on Benayoun’s goal. 2 goals from breaking Shearer’s record. Our man deserves it.

Subs:

Rosicky: 7 He came on and immediately changed the game for us. Helped turn the tide of the game by getting more involved in our attacks and helping out in keeping the ball. Too bad Song’s back from suspension, otherwise I might have advocated for Rosicky’s inclusion in the starting lineup for Monday.

Benayoun: 7.5 Came on, played some neat passes, scored the crucial winning goal. Deserves more playing time- his performances have been that impressive.

Arshavin: 6 Arshavin played the last 10 and lo and behold, the universe did NOT explode. True, he wasn’t that great, but he wasn’t as bad as he was against City. Had a good shot that was deflected out for a corner.

So in the end, we got the 3 points, mainly because of the positive impact our subs had today. Weird huh? We make up ground on Spurs and Chelsea, although we still remain in 5th. However, Suarez FC drew today with Wigan, and Newcastle seem to be finally losing steam as they lost to West Brom at home today. Spurs and Chelsea play tomorrow, so there’s a great chance to get one of them to drop some points- or both! We play QPR on Monday, on Boxing Daii, so there’s another great chance to pick up some points against an out-of-form team. Also, check the site next week for our annual mid-season review- it’s going to be great!

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Category: Aston Villa, Fixtures, Match Review, Players, Premiership

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bobjcanada

merry christmas to all! catch you on Tue
Gigi_man

Hey Happy Holidays evreybody!!!

Rumours about getting Benayoun deal permanent. I am a 100% into it.
I thought about a joke before the game, but at that moment didnt seem applicable, now it does: help us Ben (Obi Wan) Ayounossi, you re my only hope. Quoting Princess Leia in the Star Wars episode 5 (the first released in 1977 when Titi Henry was born).
Only hes not my oly hope but seemed a good one.
Ok, ok, its a lousy one but it was even worst if I shared it with a nn gooner, so there you go.
Modi

It looks like our players somehow have become complacent that they can grind a game with a one goal lead to the end. They seem to have trusted too much their defense that they can hold everything for the whole game. This needs to change. We didn't fight enough, IMO, after we got a lead, so that we could kill the game. Wenger needs to push them in killing the game early after getting a lead. This is what made ManU get 5 goals at Fulham, despite of ManU's poor defense.
Gigi_man

So many things to say, so little time.
Great work, keep it up guys (both gunners and bloggers).
Benayoun scoring, nice.
RvP reaching record, super nice.
Chelsea and Spurs drawing...could have been worse, I think I wanted Chelsea to beat them for that game in hand, but I take a draw ok.
King Kong

Great Christmas gift. Chelsea and spuds drew 1-1. I think thats the best we could have hoped for in that case. Two more very winnable games before the New Years, c'mon Arsenal.
Sh31kh

the two london thugs dropped points today. Let's hope they continue to do so
Darren_V

Mertesacker was the best defender in my eyes tonight. The only time he 'struggled' was when Coq got beat and he had N'Zgobia running full-tilt at him, something ever CB would struggle with.
Frimpong is showing why he need to go out on loan. Potential and full of commitment, but way to casual with his passing and his positional sense off the ball when Arsenal is in possession is terrible.
I truly think Aaron Ramsey is the one suffering the most from our lack of fullbacks. We are now playing extremely narrow when attempting to break out of our end of the pitch. Theo and Gervinho immediate look to break behind the defense and not support the ball, and our fullbacks are no longer pushing up to support like they used to. So now the ball is coming to Ramsey who lacks the phyiscal presense to hold the ball up to allow the support to come up (much more slowly) and he doesn't have the pace to beat the defenders 1v1. He was always able to move the ball out to the flank to the fullbacks, but now has no option with the ball but to attempt quick passes and flicks, which are rarely working.
brenton

Great points re: Ramsey and our fullbacks, that's something I hadn't considered.
brenton

I would agree, I thought Mertesacker was easily our best defender. Koscielny was guilty of a few giveaways, and I'm not sure how Vermaelen gets a 6 when he has "a bad day at the office". Without his giveaway for the goal he gets a 6 for putting in a normal performance, nothing special. Minus 1 for the giveaway and he's a solid 5.
satan

Guys, even after that terrible start to the season we still have the exact same record we had in 17 matches last season (10-2-e 5). Also, we finished top of our Champions league group. This was all without Na$ri, Fabregas and Wilshere.
Zamil_m10

facking class... Wilshere will make a big difference to the team when he returns. Diaby too, i still see some Viera-ness in him
Georgedb1

Finally, a grind out win. A game where we deserved a tie, but managed to grind out a result for all 3 points. THIS is how it should be done. Fine, Villa is no Man City, manure, still, last year's Arsenal would've settled for a 1-1.
Berth Perry

We won. 3 points. That's the positive.
However....

I am sick and fucking tired of pregnant forehead c**** GERVINHO.
What an absolute piece of shit he truly is. £11 milion of dog shit. Useless,
I won't tire of saying it but he is the Ivorian Tony Daley. No vision, no
brains, no footballing intelligence and no clinical finishing. He is fucking
shit. If people have a go at Walcott for running very fast and nothing else
then what does this overpaid c*** do? He does not 'need time' he is shit.

He does not have the intelligence. When Pires first struggled in England
you could tell he had intelligence and knew how to give it, he just needed to
adapt to the pace.
Next up, another of the shower of shit panic buys
from the summer: Per Mertesacker. I thought that John Terry goal he was guilty
for at Chelski was a joke. But then I saw the goal he fucked up on at Norwich.
If that was bad enough, what about tonight? Mertesacker more and more with each
passing match looks like the German Phil Senderos. No pace, no positioning. I
actually called this when we signed him: the reason Mertesacker is decent for
Germany is because he has a tactical manager who gives him the protection of
Torsten Frings.
At Arsenal, he has brainless morons like Alex Thong.

Oh and what about Aaron Ramsey? After his flicks and tricks galore at
Citeh, he thought he would treat us to another exhibition of how to perform like
a lamb shawarma stuffed with vomit dressing. Pathetic, don't care about his age
it isn't acceptable.
And how about the amazing Arteta? The myth? Pfffft.

This Villa team is abysmal and Arsenal scraped and struggled to get
anything out of them. That team out there tonight would have been destroyed by
Arsenal's Carling Cup team of 2002. You put a team with the likes of Grimandi,
Wiltord, Kanu, and even Franny fucking Jeffers then they'd be better than some
of the clowns I am seeing in an Arsenal kit.
FRIMPONG?? Who is this
little upstart? Reading his Twitter, you'd think he was ballon d'Or. Why was a
child playing at right-back tonight? Why? And getting skinned and destroyed? A
club with over £80 million in hoarded profits is playing a child midfielder at
right-back. It's fucking ridiculous. And the reason he was playing here?

Why, because our reserve right back from League1/Conference was injured.

This Arsenal team is unbelievably mediocre, it lacks balance all over
the place and has horrible players in various positions earning fat wages. It's
a joke. January can't come soon enough.
I can't wait for Wayne Bridge to
come in myself....
bobjcanada

its good to get these things out of your system. you'll feel better now; just have another drink/smoke or whatever...
Will

Wenger is a very intelligent man. He's working hard to pay off our stadium; he's said before the reason why he has had to resort to youth development and not buying stars, as well as not offering high wages (he's said he's "happy to make the players rich") is because he's paying off the stadium. And he's managed to make that work, too. Imagine if players like Hleb, Flamini, Nasri, heck, Fabregas and Adebayor, had seen his vision too. What a squad we'd have. Not to mention some actually do have loyalty, like Jack and Frimpong, who you so hate. Frimpong is a relative baby; you can't expect him to come off the bench and boss around like Robert Pires. And I'm sure you said the same thing about Kos last season that you say about Gervinho now. He does need time to settle; he's created so much already, and next season I think he'll find the finishing touch.
Darren_V

Are you a Sp*rs fan in disguise?
Georgedb1

I wish there was a "dislike" button.. I stopped reading as soon as I saw that disgraceful bit about Gervinho, the guy who orchestrated so many of our key goals this season. Your memory is short that I wouldn't be surprised if you were a goldfish who had figured out how to use a computer.
Gunnerson

You hate practically everyone on the squad, but you are excited about a loan move for Wayne Bridge?? What is wrong with you?
Patoux21

Arshavin miss-kicks are becoming a trademark
Bumblefock

so are your observations, cap
Amwandi

i think wenger should try this line up against wolves
                scznzy
coquelin kos verm miguel
                  song
benayoun arteta rosicky
           arshavin
         van piersie
rosicky and benayoun deserves to start, while theo, gervinho and ramsey have been showing signs of fatigue, this line up also gives arsha a chance for a pop at his favoured position, behind a target man, if he mess up, then he s on his way 2 zenit
Modi

I think Kos and Verm are very similar in play, but Mert brings in a different dimension, height. You can't teach height. To me a mix of Mert's qualities and the speed of either Kos or Verm is a better combination, in most cases, than Kos and Verm, unless when we are to play a team full of small & fast strikers/forwards like Barcelona. We are no longer a target of set up pieces as we were before.
Zamil_m10

i wish Arshavin could be played in CAM but for some weird reason i dont think Wenger will ever try it. Arshavin is not rlly fast or tall hes really built to be a CAM . His close control is some of the best ive ever seen and his passing/ability to asisst shows creactivity and direction. i think he could be as good as Iniesta really if he was put in the same position on the pitch as the Barcalonean
Modi

The only problem with Arshavin nowadays has been his poor passing and get dispossessed too easily.
RedandDread

We play Wolves on Boxing Day........
Shajee

We play wolves on boxing day and QPR on new year's....
Meaner

someone please tell me when was the last time Ramsey scored or assisted a goal in the PL?
JF

It's clear that Rosicky is better than Ramsey... no doubt about that.... Rosicky should be the first choice instead of Ramsey.. Together with Benayoun and Arteta,I like the way they play football... classy players... players like them play the Arsenal/Barcelona way.. not Ramsey.. :(
JG

I think Ramsey is actually a very skilled player, and definitely has a future for us as a playmaker. It's just that right now he is physically lacking, a condition no doubt exacerbated by his relatively recent return from injury. Ramsey was really, really good for us back in October; he just needs a couple of weeks of rest for him to return to his best.
Modi

I agree with you, JG. He needs to be coming from the bench and read what others are doing right. The good thin is that, even himself twitted that he was poor today.
JF

It's clear that Rosicky is better than Ramsey... no doubt about that.... Rosicky should be the first choice instead of Ramsey.. Together with Benayoun and Arteta,I like the way they play football... classy players... players like them play the Arsenal?Barcelona way.. not Ramsey.. :(
tsubasa

RVP needs 3 more goals to break Shearer's record
satan

3 goals against QPR and Wolves at home.
JG

Sorry, that Spurs douchebag dick was... Alan Hutton. But I'm sure most of you knew that beforehand.
Homey_Mills

Thanks for the update, JG. I missed it while traveling today. I did notice that we had an amazing 15 corners today. I think we probably had a goal coming after all those wasted chances.
Also, happy birthday to Darren.
Hopefully folks will like our midseason review stuff... I hope to be back blogging by maybe Sunday-ish.