ASTON VILLA
V
ARSENAL
The Villa Park
27th Nov, 6:15 PM IST
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Following a forgettable week, which saw Arsenal suffer defeats at the hands of bitter rivals Tottenham last Saturday and Braga in the midweek Champions League game, the Gunners will be hoping for a turnaround in fortunes and show that they can bounce back from the consecutive demoralizing losses. However, Aston Villa will be a very tricky fixture for them, as the home team had nearly secured a convincing victory against Manchester United two weeks before, only to be let down by their inexperience in the midfield. The Villans followed up their impressive show against the Red Devils with a contrasting poor performance against the newly owned Blackburn Rovers, losing 2-0 courtesy of a Pedersen brace. This fixture is of importance to both sides, as the race to climb up the table become more and more unpredictable with every passing week.
After Gerard Houllier took over the reins at Villa Park following O’Neill’s resignation, the Villans are unbeaten at home in the league, with draws against Chelsea and Manchester United being the noteworthy efforts. The ex-Liverpool boss will be counting on his boys to repeat their big game forte against the Gunners, who admittedly are no longer a team to be feared by others in the league. Of all the players, it is the youngsters like Albrighton, Bannan, Hogg and Lichaj who have been the brightest sparks in this campaign, and amply demonstrates the changes that Houllier has brought into the squad. The likes of Ashley Young, Agbonlahor and Downing can be unstoppable on their day, but they are struggling to hit form consistently this season.
Arsenal must aim for a win in this potential booby trap encounter, if they are to prove their title credentials. They can take solace from the fact that their consecutive losses against Shakhtar and Newcastle United were followed by away wins over Wolves and Everton. The main concern for Wenger is how his boys will react to the painful blows dealt by the recent results on the field; the loss of Fabregas and Eboue to injury in the midweek will have a profound effect on the rest of the team, and someone needs to take up the mantle of inspiring the Gunners to continue their good away record this season. Although they sit at third place in the table, ten places above Villa, trepidation considers to linger among the Arsenal fans as the Villa clash looms ahead; this sums up the wavering confidence in the team, owing to the inconsistency in performances so far this year.
The history between the two teams has not seen much excitement until the 2008-09 season, where Martin O’Neill’s boys threated to usurp Arsenal’s claim for the fourth spot, only to falter in the later stages of the campaign. The animosity between O’Neill and Wenger continued till the end of the 2009-10 season, when Villa replaced him with Houllier. With both current managers sharing a cordial relationship, there will not be any scope for off-field gossip to spice up the proceedings. The highlight of the upcoming fixture, however, will be the return of Robert Pires in action, donning the blue and claret jersey instead of the red and white one.
Team News and Tactical Brief
Aston Villa
The Midlands side were dealt a blow when Marc Albrighton was ruled out for three weeks with appendicitis; the winger has been one of the most exciting players in the league, having notched up a series of impressive performances for Villa. This latest setback compounds Villa’s injury crisis, with first team players like Carew, Heskey, Petrov, Reo-Coker and Sidwell already on the deadlines. Like the Manchester game, Houllier is likely to start Bannan and one of Hogg or Herd in the midfield, and play Lichaj in place of Albrighton, while all first choice defenders are available for selection. Agbonlahor, Young and Downing will significantly feature in the attacking strategy.
The plan for the Arsenal game will be the same as for the United one – make full use of pace to split open the defense. In the event of Squillaci and Djourou starting, it will provide the best opportunity for the likes of Agbonlahor and Young to outpace both defenders, who are notoriously slow as compared to earlier stalwarts like Toure and Gallas. Agbonlahor in particular has been a constant thorn in the flesh for the Gunners, and his role in the 2-1 victory over Arsenal two seasons ago, when his pace caught Gallas off-guard in a counter, is still fresh in the memory for Arsenal fans. However, their first choice defense has let them down in recent times; even in the absence of Fabregas, Arsenal’s attacking players will be a handful for Dunne and co, and a clean sheet will be hard to maintain. The onus is on the young midfielders to stop Nasri and Arshavin, but it could be a formidable task for them. However, the signing of Robert Pires could be a deciding factor, given the Frenchman’s familiarity with his old club’s style of play and his composure on the field, which could settle some of the nerves exhibited by the young turks in the Manchester game.
Probable Starting XI: Friedel, Warnock, L.Young, Dunne, Collins, Bannan, Hogg, Downing, Young, Lichaj, Agbonlahor
Arsenal
As if losing to Spurs and later enduring a forgettable game in Portugal was not enough for the Gunners, they will miss the services of their captain Fabregas, who aggravated his hamstring in the Braga encounter and faces atleast two weeks on the sideline. In addition, Eboue sustained a knee ligament injury, which means there is no decent cover for Sagna at right back; Clichy missed the trip to Braga with a back injury, and will be replaced by Kieran Gibbs at left back. However, Arsenal will welcome the availability of van Persie, who was rested for the Champions League game as a precautionary measure. Chamakh and Nasri came on as substitutes in the midweek game, while Arshavin was been given a full week to regain full fitness, following a tenuous ten day schedule. Aaron Ramsey has made a remarkable comeback from his long layoff, putting in a good first half performance for the reserves; however, it is too early for the Welsh kid to return to Premier League action. It remains to be seen whom Wenger will play in Cesc’s place – will it be Rosicky, with Nasri featuring on the right as usual? Or will Nasri be given his favored central role and Walcott start on the right? Song and Wilshere are most likely to start in this game.
Of late, Arsenal’s tactics away from home have been effective in absorbing attacks, and a similar strategy could be on the cards. The main target will be to boss the midfield against the young turks of Villa, which Song and Wilshere need to carry out to the end. Downing and Young have pace and good crossing ability and can interchange flanks, so Sagna and Clichy will need to be more cautious and not expose the flanks while going forward. If Squillaci and Djourou start, one of them will need to sit back and mark Agbonlahor as closely as possible. Villa are unlikely to park the bus but can be expected to defend in numbers in the midfield, so Wenger has to definitely devise a plan to break up stubborn defenses, which have haunted Arsenal several times off late. Robert Pires could make an appearance against his former club, and his guile and experience makes him very dangerous. All players will be required to track back and help in the defense if Villa has the ball in possession; if they can function as a cohesive unit, the three points are there for the taking.
Probable Starting XI: Fabianski, Sagna, Djourou, Squillaci, Gibbs, Song,Wilshere, Rosicky, Nasri, Arshavin, Chamakh
Key Facts
1. Villa have not won in their last 11 home games against Arsenal.
2. Arsenal have picked up more points in away fixtures than at home.
3. A 90th minute goal has been scored in three of the last five encounters.
4. Downing and Young have been involved in nine of Aston Villa’s ten goals at home this season.
TheHardTackle’s PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR
Gabriel Agbonlahor
The Englishman has been struggling to hit the right note this season, and he will be keen to use this match to kick start his quest for scoring goals in the remainder of the season. Agbonlahor was instrumental in Villa’s win over Arsenal in late 2008, and will be keen to give an encore in front of the home crowd.
TheHardTackle’s Prediction
Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal
A feisty encounter will be on the cards, with both sides looking to stop the other from scoring and attempting to attack on the counter. Arsenal will be smarting from the last two games and will look to get their game back on track; they will look to seize the midfield and play their 1-2 passing game to stretch the Villan defense.
TheHardTackle’s BLAST FROM THE PAST