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Mikel Arteta described Arsenal’s 3-0 home loss to Aston Villa as the worst of his coaching career, but could not explain a performance in which, as he himself put it, “I didn’t see my team out there.” . Arsenal were second best in all departments and Arteta was scathing with his team’s attitude and execution.
“They wanted it more than we did,” he said. “I’m struggling to find the reason, but obviously there was something there. If you can’t defend your box, it’s a very difficult way to win matches. We haven’t scored many goals and today we looked open in the transition, and if you don’t save chances, you have no chance of winning. I take full responsibility. “
The result places Arsenal in the bottom half of the Premier League table and despite encouraging results such as a 1-0 win over Manchester United, Arteta admitted there were deeper underlying issues to address during the international break. “We need to be more ruthless,” he said. “I didn’t like it from the first whistle. It just wasn’t good enough. That is something that we will analyze ”.
Thomas Partey was removed at halftime due to a thigh injury and will undergo an examination to assess its severity.
Dean Smith said Villa’s performance was on par with his 7-2 demolition of Liverpool last month. “Personally, I felt it was so good,” said the coach. “Our work without the ball was the most enjoyable aspect of it. We looked so calm and played with such intensity with and without the ball. We were a threat every time we advanced. There is nothing better “.
Ollie Watkins scored two goals against the club he supported as a child and issued a warning to the rest of the league. “There is much more to come from us,” he said. “You saw it here, you saw it against Liverpool. We can beat anyone. “
