Arsenal Embark on 'Fixtures of Death' at Villa Park

When this fixture was played last season, the thrill and excitement of the game provided quality Boxing Day entertainment. The only heartbreak is that Arsenal didn’t leave Villa Park with all three points. The Gunners will want to rectify that statistic this year.

The game stood out in particular because of two individual shows of brilliance from Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna.

Diaby’s individual thrust from box to box saw him unleash a screamer into the roof of the net in what is perhaps one of Arsenal’s top 10 goals of all time.

In defence, Bacary Sagna defied the laws of physics with his agility. The French fullback freaked out the entire stadium by making a breath-taking overhead goal line clearance from Agbonlahor’s header that was making its way into Almunia’s net.

I think even the Arsenal players stood there wondering how Sagna stopped that ball from going into the net. Every time I think of Sagna’s acrobatic clearance, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

That night, Arsenal’s 2-nil lead was cruelly cut by Barry’s penalty and Zat Knight’s last minute volley from outside the box.

The Gunner’s propensity to give away crucial goals had already cost them enough in the early part of last season, and the draw left many fans with a bitter taste in the mouth.

Villa Park has been a good hunting ground for Arsenal in the last few years. It’s not going to be easy though with Villa fighting for that elusive Champions league spot and the Gunners vying for the title.

Arsenal’s form coming into this game has been stellar, having collected the last 23 out of a possible 29 points. A win in this game sees the Gunners reclaim top position in the league table, and sets them up well for the weekend encounter with our ’friends’ from Manchester.

Injuries have been a Key issue for Arsenal, and the return of Samir Nasri and Nicklas Bendtner is welcome. Villa do have their own injury gremlins, but the Gunners have to focus on their own strengths and look to impose themselves on the game.

The one good thing about this fixture is that Villa will come out and play, and this is always a welcome change to the kicking and bullying tactics of some teams.

Tactically, Arsenal need to be prepared to absorb Villa’s relentless thrusts especially through wing play. Fans will be relatively happy with the fact that the Gunners have our first choice back 5 available, and as such, a better chance of containing Villa’s pacy wingers.

Villa will more than likely be having nightmares of the recent 27-minute cameo by Fabregas that literally bitch-slapped them when they last visited the Emirates. They will be hell bent on denying him space to weave his magic.

Being embarrassed once is one thing, but I doubt they’re willing to be turned over the second time by the individual brilliance of the Catalan genius.

It’ll be important for Arsenal to maintain defensive discipline as Villa are very good at counter attacking. The maturity to show patience while holding off Villa and then converting our opportunities will be the key.

A lot has been made about the importance of the next 4 games in Arsenal’s title challenge. 9 out of 12 points in the 4 games will not be a bad return at all.

However, the most important outcome is that winning begets momentum, momentum begets confidence, and confidence gives Arsenal the mental fortitude to hold their nerve at this crucial time in the season.

Arsenal is a confidence team and a win tonight will be good business. The Gunners have their work cut out though.

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