Arsenal put the nightmare of Aston Villa behind them by claiming a 2-0 win at Villa Park on Saturday evening.
Substitute Leandro Trossard and midfielder Thomas Partey were the goalscorers, as Mikel Arteta’s side maintained their 100% start to the new Premier League campaign.
Arsenal beat Wolves on the opening day of the new season, but this match was going to be far tougher and with bigger questions being asked.
Before the game, Arteta made one change to Arsenal‘s XI when he brought in the returning Jurrien Timber for Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back.
This comes after Zinchenko had a torrid time against Villa last term when they won home and away against the London club.
Leon Bailey caused the 27-year-old multiple problems at Villa Park and Arteta clearly wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
Gary Neville touched upon how against, the so-called lesser sides, Zinchenko will play because ‘you are going to have to work hard to probe and poke the ball through tight spaces’.
But the former right-back feels against the top sides, someone with more defensive solidity is going to be needed and Timber certainly provides that.
Zinchenko didn’t even come on the pitch, with Arsenal’s new signing Riccardo Calafiori coming on towards the end when the team were trying to get over the line.
Neville touched upon that position after the match and how Zinchenko looked unhappy that he didn’t start, as he told Sky Sports.
Oleksandr Zinchenko dropped for Aston Villa game
“That left-back position, Zinchenko will still play his role,” said Neville. “When you are playing, and I am not being disrespectful, the bottom ten teams and you know you are going to have a mountain of possession at home.
“You are going to have to work hard to probe and poke the ball through tight spaces. Zinchenko is going to be fantastic in those matches.
“But when you are playing against a really top team and you need to keep a clean sheet. You need to make sure you have someone at the back post who can defend and you need to make sure on set-pieces, you have six big-uns, that’s when you will need Timber. That’s when you will need Calafiori. He has that now Mikel Arteta. I think it’s a really good way in which he has adapted it. He looked a little bit disappointed, Zinchenko, at the start of the game because he wanted to play. But again, he will contribute again, with his spirit, his personality, but also on the pitch as well with certain games.”
Arsenal clean sheet
You have to question if Arsenal would have kept a clean sheet if Zinchenko started because he is a liability from a defensive standpoint.
Arsenal didn’t win the Premier League title last season and their defeats to Villa played a key role. But already, after just the second game, they have made a statement.
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They may have been fortunate because Ollie Watkins had two nightmare moments – Villa should have scored two before Arsenal’s opener.
But, at the end of the day, you make your own luck.
Now, it’s about the conclusion of the summer transfer window and Arsenal signing Mikel Merino and possibly a few more faces before next Friday’s deadline.
The post 'He wanted to play': Gary Neville claims Arsenal star unhappy he didn't start after win at Villa appeared first on HITC.
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