Premier League analysis: Five key battles in Aston Villa vs Arsenal clash

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22 Aug

After both clubs opened their season with a win last time out, Aston Villa and Arsenal will be looking to make it two from two this weekend.

Villa beat West Ham 2-1 in London courtesy of a late Jhon Duran winner following a good start. With the Champions League coming to town and a few major signings through the door, the Villans have a big campaign ahead of them.

Arsenal were comfortable in seeing off Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. In spite of a quiet transfer window, they are once again expected to be Manchester City’s closest challengers for the title.

In this fixture last season, Villa emerged victorious both home and away. A tight 1-0 triumph in Birmingham was followed by a morale-boosting late 2-0 win at the Emirates in April that all-but ended the Gunners’ title charge.

Here, Sports News Blitz’s Michael Davey focuses on five important battles to look forward to in the Saturday game at Villa Park (5.30pm kick-off).

Unai Emery vs Mikel Arteta

In the dugout, it is an intriguing battle between former Arsenal manager Unai Emery and his successor in the Emirates dugout, Mikel Arteta.

Emery started out plying his trade in the lower echelons of Spanish football before making a name for himself at Valencia and Sevilla.

A successful stint at PSG then preceded signing for Arsenal in 2018.

Emery was, however, dismissed a year and a half later having failed to either construct a discernible footballing identity or connect with the fans.

A rebuild of both person and career followed at Villarreal where Emery won the Europa League in 2020 and made the semi-finals of the Champions League the following year.

In 2022, he replaced the sacked Steven Gerrard at Villa Park and subsequently led them to Champions League qualification for the first time since 1983.

Emery’s football philosophy is founded on efficiency, control and durability.

Often middling in statistics for territory, pressing and tackling, his teams effectively use deep possession to draw in the opposition in anticipation of systematically attacking the spaces behind.

Arteta, meanwhile, capped a decorated playing career with the likes of Rangers, Everton, and Arsenal by becoming assistant to Pep Guardiola at City post-retirement in 2016.

When Emery was sacked by Arsenal in 2019, Arteta was drafted in to restore the club’s direction.

After a rocky grace period, not to mention rumblings of the sack, Arteta has led the Gunners to consecutive second-place finishes and transformed the side into title challengers.

His tactical style involves a high press supported by a high backline and inverted full-backs serving to overload the midfield.

Arteta’s teams are also known to attack space and even rotate formation in order to force the opposition into making mistakes.

On Saturday, Villa are unlikely to compete with Arsenal for possession or ascendancy in the press.

Emery’s troops will be all too happy to draw the Gunners in, thus nullifying their overlaps.

The Villans will accordingly seek to attack the space behind the high frontline.

Arsenal will no doubt welcome the opportunity for ultra-progressive play but will try and close the midfield gaps with a correspondingly high backline. This runs the risk of a complete overload in the Villa half, potentially leaving the men from London vulnerable at the back.

Much-maligned while at Arsenal, Emery has since re-proved himself an elite manager and will relish the chance to get one over on his old employers and their darling Arteta.

Bukayo Saka vs Lucas Digne, Pau Torres & Youri Tielemans

In the wake of a stellar 2023-24 campaign and a goal on matchday one, the exciting Bukayo Saka will aim to continue his rise to the top of the game at Villa Park.

The Englishman has been at Arsenal since the age of seven. Arriving on the scene as a left-back, Saka debuted in 2018 during an injury crisis.

Later converted to a forward, he has scored 59 goals in 227 appearances for Arsenal, winning their Player of the Season award twice.

At 22, Saka has already played 40 times for England, scoring 12 goals and taking on an influential attacking role.

Considered a key player in the national set-up, he has appeared at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2024.

Over time, Saka has developed into a creative force. Able to play on either wing, he likes driving between the lines and has the distinct ability to receive the ball on the half-turn so as to progress play quickly. Further, Saka exhibits great close control and final-ball delivery.

While Villa exceeded expectations in finishing fourth last season, their defence ranked a slightly inferior sixth in the league due to conceding 61 goals.

This was more than some teams below them in the Premier League table, but good attacking play saw them offset this by scoring 76 goals.

The part of this less-than-watertight defensive set-up to face Saka will probably include Lucas Digne at left-back, Pau Torres at centre-back, and Youri Tielemans in a holding midfield position.

While both Digne and Tielemans have a penchant for attacking play, Torres is more suited to a covering role with the spatial awareness to match.

With defence not Villa’s strength, Saka is set to be a tricky customer. Using his transitionary speed, he will run the inside channels. If Villa attempt to crowd Saka out and force him wide, he can draw the defensive shape across and create space through the middle for others.

Saka could be especially dangerous to Villa if and when Digne and Tielemans get forward.

Although Torres will be primed to cover for his team-mates accordingly, Saka’s pace and ball delivery make him a constant threat surging into the space behind.

All in all, the game on Saturday is perfectly poised for Saka to wreak havoc, and it is up to Emery and his charges to find a way to stop the Gunners star.

Ollie Watkins vs the Premier League’s best defence

The Premier League’s best creator and one of its top marksmen Ollie Watkins meets its most miserly backline in the Arsenal defence.

Watkins began his career at Exeter City prior to joining Brentford. On the back of 26 goals and 50 appearances in the 2019/20 Championship season, with the Bees losing out in the promotion play-off final, Villa bought Watkins for a then-club record £28million.

He has since gone from strength to strength, grabbing 70 goals across 170 appearances and being crowned last season’s Premier League Playmaker of the Season with 13 assists.

Watkins recently helped England to the final of UEFA Euro 2024, notably scoring a late winner to see off Netherlands in the semi-final in Dortmund.

A highly-versatile player, he provides useful interchangeability across the front positions.

Watkins is known for making intelligent runs and is constantly looking for space to shoot or pass, rendering him a constant threat wherever he is on the pitch.

Arsenal, on the other hand, possess the meanest defence in the league, conceding only 29 goals across the previous campaign.

For comparison, champions Manchester City conceded 34 goals and third-place Liverpool 41.

Statistical analysis also shows that expected goals are frequently low against Arsenal thanks to an organised team effort of defending from the front.

At centre-back, William Saliba offers strength and pace while Gabriel Magalhaes has an aptitude for aerial duels and positioning.

On the left, Oleksandr Zinchenko balances defence with contributing an extra attacking outlet. Ben White performs a similar role on the right.

Back-up options include injury-plagued Jurrien Timber, wantaway Kieran Tierney, and new Italian starlet Riccardo Calafiori.

The sheer creativity of Watkins, who is constantly looking to make things happen, is likely to stretch Arsenal’s defence. In what will be a battle of composure, his football intelligence and flexibility of movement are sure to test the Gunners’ positioning and tackling.

With pace prevalent in both line-ups, it should be an end-to-end affair. This is especially the case if Zinchenko and White attack the byline without adequate defensive cover. This would allow Watkins, a scorer at the Emirates last season, to use the space behind them.

Ultimately, you have to beat the best to become the best, and there is no better way for Watkins to test himself than against the Premier League’s finest defence.

Kai Havertz vs his detractors

Arsenal’s enigmatic German forward Kai Havertz will be seeking to build on his best-ever season by silencing the doubters and proving he belongs at the top level.

An academy graduate at Bayer Leverkusen, Havertz became the club’s youngest-ever debutant in 2016 and later their youngest-ever Bundesliga goalscorer.

A £71million move to Chelsea followed in 2020, but he largely flattered to deceive in west London. His role in winning the 2021 Champions League failed to mask a lacklustre 32 goals in 139 appearances.

Subsequently and surprisingly signed by Arteta for £65million in 2023, Havertz saw a welcome uptick in performance levels.

His 13 goals and seven assists last season were the best return of his career so far. In addition, the 25-year-old has scored 18 times for Germany, appearing at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2024.

Havertz is regarded as an elegant and technical player who can use both feet and exhibits good close control.

Versatile across the attacking positions but best through the middle, his dribbling ability in constricted spaces often helps to crack open tight defences.

Nevertheless, Havertz is the regular recipient of criticism from fans and pundits alike.

Considered a waste of money by some and an unnecessary gamble by others, he is regarded as having failed to kick on since his promising start at Leverkusen.

To many onlookers, Havertz’s seeming lack of aggression and tendency to fade into the background of tough matches reveal his unsuitability for the notoriously demanding Premier League.

And with his inconsistent finishing abilities betraying the lack of a clinical edge, talk has even highlighted a prospective shift into midfield roles.

After the relief of opening the scoring in Arsenal’s win over Wolves last week, the clash against Villa thus presents an opportunity for the German.

As a striker, Havertz can silence his critics by taking the potentially limited chances that come his way in what will be a must-win game.

It is a simple enough idea on paper, but Emery and Villa are sure to make it a physical and uncomfortable outing for Havertz. With the opposition fans waiting to jump on any mistake, Havertz needs to show up ready for a fight and with the character to match.

If he wishes to win over Arsenal fans, not to mention the couch critics, Havertz must finally come good on the promise that got everyone so excited eight years ago.

Amadou Onana vs Declan Rice

In the middle of the park, Saturday’s tussle sets up a battle between two expensive holding midfielders in Villa’s Amadou Onana and Arsenal’s Declan Rice.

Onana first emerged at Hamburger SV in 2020. A productive season with Lille in France then led to Everton signing him for £33million in 2022. Now 23, the Senegal-born Onana has played for Belgium at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024.

In light of Everton’s continued financial struggles, Villa recently acquired Onana for a hefty £50million. A fourth-minute goal against the Hammers on matchday one raised hopes that he has what it takes to adequately replace the departed Douglas Luiz in central midfield.

Seen as a powerful enforcer and capable of playing the midfield anchor role, Onana also offers the ability to shift the ball around. This suits a progressive manager such as Emery, who favours shorter passes, tight movement and pre-planned attacking plays.

In contrast, Declan Rice was a prospect at Chelsea prior to a move to West Ham where he made 245 appearances and ascended to club captain.

He led the club to UEFA Conference League glory in 2023 before signing for Arsenal in a blockbuster £100million deal.

Seen as a long-term solution at the base of the Gunners midfield, Rice has likewise become integral to England.

Already regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe, the 25-year-old is a tough tackler and an adept passer of the ball. Moreover, Rice’s supreme ball-carrying ability is utilised to great effect by manager Arteta in Arsenal’s build-up play.

Regardless of how they are deployed at Villa Park, Onana and Rice will likely be vying for control of the midfield. Their passing, tackling and ball-carrying abilities will serve as the foundation for their respective team’s attack in the biggest game of the weekend.

Crucially, as space inevitably opens up behind the Arsenal highline, Onana will have invaluable opportunities to advance the play and put in players like Watkins to hurt Arsenal on the break.

At the end of the day, Onana arrived for a large transfer fee. The only way to justify such a price tag to the fans is to continue his good start and prove his worth against elite opposition.

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