Arteta must remove Arsenal star players who likely belonged during the Emery era

Arsenal’s 18-game unbeaten streak ended. During that time, they defeated their arch-rivals 4-1 and one of Europe’s most in-form teams, Bayern Munich, 3-1. They also go unbeaten at St James’s Park and Stamford Bridge.

It is therefore typical that Unai Emery, who succeeded Mikel Arteta, met a disappointing end.

This match has always been Emery’s cup final and it took place on Saturday. The Gunners were far from their best. They looked tired and their backs were shaking. Despite losing 1-2, Manchester City’s win later in the day narrowed the gap at the top of the table to just two points.

How Emery beat Mikel Arteta

A week ago, Arsenal looked like the undisputed leaders of the Premier League. Some people shouted that he would definitely win the title. Well, that’s how quickly things change.

Arteta’s side still have a shot at winning next May, but will need to improve on their last two away games against Chelsea and Villa.

This match was typical Emery. He loved playing against his former employers and despite building up a lot of possession in the Midlands, Arsenal looked powerless to stop the Villains.

While Arsenal were without Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba through injury, Villa’s quick transitions, counter-attacking football and willingness to get runners in behind made things extremely difficult for Arteta’s side.

Ollie Watkins, who was once the subject of a bid from the Gunners, did not score but did manage to come back on several occasions. Julian Timber, who was playing at centre-back, looked pretty goofy.

Watkins had a good chance of scoring the first goal of the game if he got behind Timber and Piero Hincapie and turned them over before forcing a strong save from David Raya.

The combination of him, Morgan Rodgers and Youri Tielemans was a huge threat. During that time, they made three important passes.

Normally the attacking line would face a brick wall in the shape of Saliba and Gabriel, but Arsenal’s centre-backs have been a shadow of what we had hoped for with Arteta’s usual centre-back pairing once again sidelined through injury.

However, it was a pinball moment that led to the winning goal. Emilio Buendia was the calmest man in the Midlands and fired the ball past Raya, despite Arsenal failing to clear their lines and throwing a number of bodies along the way. There was a commotion in the stadium.

Arsenal’s summer signings will cost a lot of money

Arsenal’s defensive line is arguably the best in the country this season. Before facing the Villains, the Gunners had scored just seven goals in the top flight. Make it nine now.

Every team in world soccer is bound to be without players of the caliber of Saliba and Gabriel, but recent games have made league leaders realize just how difficult life will be without them.

Arteta was forced to use Timber at centre-half at Villa Park after Cristian Mosquera was forced off injured in midweek’s 2-0 win over Brentford. Small in size, not very physical, and eager to be on the ground, he was no match for Watkins and others.

Similarly, Hincapie, who could sign on a permanent basis in a £45m deal, endured an eventful afternoon in just his fourth Premier League start. The Ecuadorian international is a physical beast, but he definitely lacks the same level of composure that has often been seen in Gabriel and Saliba in recent years.

Of course, this is his first time playing in England, but the level of performance in the last two away matches leaves something to be desired.

Last week against Chelsea, he and Mosquera looked quite restless and nervous. Fair enough, especially considering they’ve only played together as a pair once before.

Hincapie improved against Brentford and looked strong for the most part against Villa. Against powerful attacking units, he won all three of his aerial duels, achieved a whopping seven clearances and six recoveries, and won 50% of his ground duels.

This wasn’t a bad performance until Arsenal lost the game with just one mistake. It was a moment reminiscent of the latter part of Arsene Wenger’s reign, or even the era of Unai Emery.

At the time, Arsenal’s defenders were associated with a lack of concentration and mistakes. Hincapie wasn’t full of mistakes on Saturday, but a lapse deep in stoppage time cost Arsenal.

In the words of The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid, he’s been “pretty poor since the Spurs.” That may seem harsh, but it was certainly poor not being able to clear the line in the final stages.

GOAL’s Charles Watts gave the defender a 6/10 rating at Fulltime, ultimately blaming his lack of awareness. He had a chance to clear the line, but instead ran the ball out of play. In the end, the winning goal came from Villa’s throw-in.

It felt insignificant when it happened, but there was a lack of awareness of the game. It was like Emery’s era. Saliba and Gabriel won’t do that. That won’t be possible with the tenacious defense created by Arteta. After that, he could lose his place in the team against Brugge in midweek.

Perhaps it’s time to see what Ricardo Calafioli can do at centre-half and Miles Lewis-Skelly at left-back?