Arsenal vs Aston Villa match thread

[The Edge]

Digne on for Maatsen. Keep it tight don't give away any more goals and bring wrecking ball on around the hour mark. We can definitely get something out of this.

[ChicagoLion]

Maatsen Onana what £70 million , keeps coming back to the summer transfer window.

[Beard82]

Think matsaan gamble back fired.

Very close first half - feels like the 30 secs might have done us - Onnana injured and then just over the line after matasaan turned off

Need to get Watkins some support - he’s done well I think but at one point there was no one for 50 yards near him when he broke

[wolfman999]

Digne coming on. Won't claim too many Nostrodamus points there tbh...

So we can only get subs on in one more break?

[Martyn Smith]

The problem with Tielemans is he’s brilliantly creative, which means he pretty much always looks for a killer pass. It means in form he’s fantastic, but out of form he gives the ball away so much. There’s not really a middle ground.

Plays long passes exquisitely, short passes, not so much

[Rigadon]

Digne looks like he’s coming on at HT.  Maatsen looks decidedly average defensively, better going forward. 

So far so normal.  Sloppy goal conceded: TICK.  Missed a few good chances: TICK. 

Still think we can get something but I’m baffled by the Bogarde sub. 

[dorsetvillian]

Well in the game until that awful defending by Mattson. Loosing Onana is also a massive loss. Strange sub. Just can't see the logic. Would love to see Rogers in the middle behind Watkins.

[Baldy]

Tielemans with Kamara, Rogers down the middle and Bailey/Malen out wide would have been my switch. Bogarde will be chasing shadows in the middle poor lad.

Agreed, that would have been my plan B.

Plus, in the future get rid of Ramsey and buy an out and out left winger.

[Martyn Smith]

Digne coming on. Won't claim too many Nostrodamus points there tbh...

So we can only get subs on in one more break?

I thought that had gone now? Can't we put the 5 on at any time?

[Rudy65]

We didn’t pay anywhere near that. Part of Kellyman deal

[PaulWinch again]

Maatsen is a good player, he made a mistake it happens.

[baddowvillans]

Duran really is an amazing player when he's not on the pitch

[adrenachrome]

Arsenal went all out with a high press on our defenders to stop us playing it out from the back. They won't be able to keep that up for the whole game.

Ollie's first touch has always been a problem.

Digne will be on.

[Demitri_C]

Huge and dare I say it unrealistic standards on here if that was a poor half from us. Dear me.

We've picked our moments to attack and opened them up a few times but just can't get the final ball through. And when we do Ollie is having yet another match when he's passing when he should be shooting and shooting when he should be passing.

I get it's tempting to try to chip Raya but he had Rogers accelerating right behind him so it was effectively a 2 v 1 going into the box.

In tight games like this you can't spurn too many occasions.

Goal was disappointing aswell with Maatsen ball watching and Emi seemingly trying to catch from very close range but not like they've had endless attempts on goal.

Half time came at a good time and surely we'll put on some actual attackers around the hour mark so we're far from out of this.

I think for me, its been poor in a attacking sense. We have struggled to create much. A prime examplw was that chance when ollie went through and it felt like decades until any villa player came forward  to support. At that point arsenal had smothered ollie and he was up against five players.

You would have thought rogers or youri would ahve come forward  to be seen.  Disappointing  attacking display  for me

[PaulWinch again]

Duran really is an amazing player when he's not on the pitch

He’s pretty good when he’s on to be fair. But I think Ollie has done well.