Arsenal vs. Aston Villa: Match Review

Arsenal managed to stay at the top of the Premier League table after a nail-biting draw with Aston Villa which was settled in stoppage time by a late equalizer from Nicklas Bendtner. The Gunners have only taken two points from their last two games and are now only one point ahead of last season's Premier League Champions, Manchester United.

An own goal from Philippe Senderos gave Aston Villa the lead after 27 minutes, and with Arsenal lacking a decisive touch in the final third it looked as though the Gunners would suffer their first defeat at the Emirates this season. However, young Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner showed some of the fighting spirit for which Arsenal has become renowned, denying Villa at the death with one of the last actions of the game.

Lineups:
Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Gael Clichy, Philippe Senderos, William Gallas, Bacary Sagna; Abou Diaby, Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Hleb; Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor

Aston Villa: Scott Carson; Martin Laursen, Wilfred Bouma, Curtis Davies, Shaun Maloney; Gareth Barry, Nigel Reo-Coker, Ashley Young, Craig Gardner; John Carew, Gabriel Agbonlahor

The game started with a frenetic pace more typical of a match between Manchester United and Arsenal than one between the Gunners and the Villans.

The first decent opening came for Arsenal in the seventh minute when Emmanuel Adebayor flicked a long pass to Theo Walcott on the edge of the area. The England international, who had scored a brace against Birmingham a week earlier, took the ball on his chest and turned towards goal before firing a low shot which Scott Carson was forced to turn around the post at full stretch.

It had been a positive opening for the league leaders, but Martin O'Neills' Aston Villa are far from walkovers, and created a chance of their own when a sprint from the speedy Gabriel Agbonlahor saw the Villa striker almost alone in the area. An incredible saving tackle from William Gallas spared Manuel Almunia from making a save.

18-year-old Walcott was the source of inspiration for Arsenal in the early exchanges, as his pace saw him run past three defenders before sending a cross too far into the area and out for a goal kick.

Philippe Senderos had a chance in the Villa box after Carson had spilled a corner, but the Swiss international defender could only poke a shot horribly wide after being surprised by the gift of an opportunity.

The central defender, standing in for the injured Kolo Toure, put one in goal in the 27th minute though, after a cross from Agbonlahor saw Senderos divert the ball past his own wrong-footed keeper to give Aston Villa the lead.

The home side were stunned by the mistake and it showed as Villa almost doubled their lead only for Manuel Almunia to acrobatically push an effort from Shaun Maloney onto the frame of the goal.

Arsenal regrouped, but were unable to penetrate the Villa defense, going into halftime 1-0 down after a disappointing showing.

The home side were strong in the opening minutes of the first half, with Walcott forcing another good save out of Carson after a neat one-two with Cesc Fabregas. Space opened up for Alex Hleb about twenty yards out from goal, but the Belorussian, not known for his shooting skills, hit a tame effort well wide.

Villa were strong on the counterattack though, and Agbonlahor forced another full-stretch save from Manuel Almunia after a shot from the edge of the eighteen-yard-box.

Substitute Marlon Harewood almost grabbed the second for Villa after brushing off the ineffective Philippe Senderos, but was denied by yet another fine save from Almunia.

As the ninety minute mark approached it looked as though Arsenal were going to be subject to their first home defeat of the season. However, a good spell of possession for the Gunners finally resulted in a last-gasp goal as Nicklas Bendtner stabbed home from close range to give the Gunners a valuable point.

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa: Match Preview

Aston Villa travel to the Emirates this Saturday in order to face league leaders Arsenal in an important clash for both teams. Arsenal will be searching for a full three points to stay clear of Manchester United at the top of the table, while Villa will be looking to break into Europe by taking at least a point from the Gunners.

The Villans, who currently sit in sixth place in the Premier League, have defeated Reading and Newcastle United since losing at Fulham, and have performed admirably against the big four so far this season. A win at home against Chelsea and two draws at Liverpool and Chelsea are marred only by defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal. Mark Hughes will be hoping that his team can amend their record against the Gunners, and will feel especially confident because of the Arsenal injury list.

Arsene Wenger will be unable to choose six of his players, although Abou Diaby is expected to return to the Arsenal squad in time for the match. Kolo Toure, Eduardo, Robin van Persie, Alex Song, Tomas Rosicky, and Johan Djourou will all miss the match with injury while Emmanuel Eboue will sit out due to suspension.

Villa, on the other hand, are almost completely fit, with Olof Mellberg the only injury doubt for the game.

Arsenal will likely line up with Manuel Almunia in goal behind a back four of Bacary Sagna, Philippe Senderos, William Gallas, and Gael Clichy. The Arsenal defenders are usually quite dependable, but will face a tough test against the guile of Gareth Barry, the pace of Gabby Agbonlahor, the pinpoint crosses of Ashley young, and the height of John Carew. It would be a huge boost for the Gunners if they could keep Villa quiet on set pieces.

In the middle of the park Alex Hleb, Cesc Fabregas, and either Theo Walcott or Abou Diaby should be able to dominate the midfield with their passing skills while Mathieu Flamini disrupts the visitor's play.

Emmanuel Adebayor will start up front without Eduardo for the first time in a few matches, as the Croatian suffered from a horrible tackle against Birmingham last weekend. Theo Walcott is in contention for a spot alongside the lanky Togolese striker after his impressive showing against Birmingham, although Nicklas Bendtner also has a decent chance of starting. Villa have allowed a fair number of goals considered to those around them in the table, and Arsenal, the top goalscoring team in the league, will be looking to exploit this defensive weakness.

Despite a poor showing against Birmingham last weekend, Arsenal are clear favorites to win this match and should be able to do so even without some of their key players. I predict a 3-1 home win.

Flamini and Hleb to miss Newcastle clash

Mathieu Flamini and Alex Hleb have joined Arsenal's lengthy injury list for tomorrow's game at St. James' Park. The pair join fellow midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Abou Diaby, as well as long-term casualty Robin van Persie.

Hleb picked up a hamstring injury during Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa over the weekend after a nasty tackle.

Flamini, who has also been on great form this season, will miss the game at Newcastle due to a recurrence of a thigh injury.

However, Arsene Wenger was upbeat, confident in the Arsenal midfield with Neves Denilson returning to the squad.

"We have lost Alex Hleb and Mathieu Flamini from Saturday at Villa," Wenger told Arsenal TV Online.

"We have no-one back so that's Diaby, Van Persie, Hleb, Flamini and Fabregas out for this game.

"At one stage we thought it was congested in midfield but now it looks bare," he added. "But we still have quality players coming in there. We have Gilberto while Denilson is back after an injury. He is travelling with us. So we are very confident that we are still strong in the midfield."

Wenger shouldn't be too worried, as Arsenal's Carling Cup side already beat Newcastle 2-0 in the cup this season.

Aston Villa vs. Arsenal: Match Review

Arsenal jumped back from a 3-1 midweek loss at Sevilla and a 1-0 deficit to beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park. The Gunners, who are still undefeated in the Premier League, allowed an early goal, but came back with two of their own before halftime to go five points clear of Chelsea with a game in hand, and six clear of last season's champions Manchester United.

Lineups:
Aston Villa: Scott Carson; Wilfred Bouma, Zat Knight, Olof Mellberg, Martin Laursen; Ashley Young, Gareth Barry, Craig Gardner, Stiliyan Petrov; Gabriel Agbonlahor, John Carew

Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy; Emmanuel Eboue, Lassana Diarra, Mathieu Flamini, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Hleb; Emmanuel Adebayor

Both sides started brightly, and Scott Carson was forced to turn a low drive from Emmanuel Adebayor around the post soon after the first whistle.

Alex Hleb passed a late fitness test and had a good chance as well, breaking into Villa's 18 yard box only for Carson to tackle the ball away.

Aston Villa did much better with their first real chance of the game.

A cross from John Carew deflected off of two Arsenal defenders before falling to Craig Gardner, who left Manuel Almunia no chance with his 14th minute half-volley.

The goal brought Arsenal to life, and the Gunners were immediately rewarded with a few chances after some good build-up play.

Martin Laursen made two blocks from shots from Hleb and Adebayor, but could do nothing to stop Mathieu Flamini from scoring in the 23rd minute.

A cross from Emmanuel Eboue flicked off of Hleb's boot to find Flamini on the edge of the box. The French holding midfielder struck the ball beautifully, leaving a hapless Carson to pick the ball out of his net with Arsenal level.

At this point Arsenal looked for a second, with Laursen blocking another effort from Flamini. Scott Carson was forced to make a save from Hleb as well, but all the defending in the world could not keep Arsenal at bay.

Bacary Sagna made a nice cross in to Adebayor, who managed to beat both Olof Mellberg and Zat Knight in the air to head past Carson and give Arsenal a 2-1 lead.

It would prove to be the match winner as Arsenal's strength tapered off going in to the second half.

Villa were the better side in the second half, and Martin Laursen, who had already made some key defensive plays for his team, could've equalized early on, only to poke a shot wide.

The Villians came close again when John Carew saw his header come off of Almunia's post, but it was the closest they would get as Arsenal kept their unbeaten run going in the league.

The win over Aston Villa was a great victory for the Arsenal, but an injury to Alex Hleb (which saw the midfielder walk off in the 60th minute) soured the experience.

Aston Villa vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Arsenal travel to Villa Park this Saturday to face Martin O'Neill's on-form Aston Villa.

The Gunners will be looking to get back on track after losing to Sevilla on Tuesday, their first loss in any competition since April. Still, Arsene Wenger's squad will be confident, as the loss came on foreign soil with a depleted squad. An Arsenal win would keep the Gunners at least 3 points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.

Aston Villa are one of the few team's whose recent form can match Arsenal's, though, having won their last four games. Villa, who are currently placed 6th in the Premier League, could move within three points of Arsenal were they to win on home soil.

Their cause will be strengthened by a long Arsenal injury list, and not a single injury of their own (although Nigel Reo-Coker misses the game due to suspension).

Cesc Fabregas, Alex Hleb, and Gael Clichy are all very doubtful, and Robin van Persie is still out injured. Arsenal will, however, welcome Mathieu Flamini back into the squad, after the Frenchman picked up a knock while playing for his country.

Manuel Almunia will start in the away goal. Arsenal's defense will most likely be missing Gael Clichy, so Armand Traore may start in his place. Kolo Toure and William Gallas will start in the heart of the Arsenal back line, while Bacary Sagna slots in at right back.

Alternatively, Sagna could be switched to the left, with Emmanuel Eboue defending the right. However, Arsene Wenger enjoys fielding his youngsters so he may give 18 year-old Traore another chance to shine.

Arsenal will likely field a five man midfield with Robin van Persie still missing. Mathieu Flamini and either Lassana Diarra or Gilberto are likely to play in defensive roles, while Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Eboue track along the left and right wings respectively (unless the Ivorian is played at right-back). Neves Denilson is likely to start again in the center, but Wenger could also play Rosicky as a central attacking midfielder and Eduardo or Theo Walcott on the left wing.

Personally, I would like to see Rosicky in a central midfield role with Walcott's pace terrorizing the Villa defense. Unfortunately, I think that Wenger will be more conservative, placing the Czech Republic captain on the left.

Up front Emmanuel Adebayor will start alone, still missing his prolific Dutch striking partner.

Arsenal will face a tough challenge against a strong Aston Villa side. O'Neill's squad has scored more goals than any other Premier League team other than Arsenal and Everton, and Gabriel Agbonlahor and the tall John Carew will be a tough test for our defense.

Gareth Barry and Ashley Young will also be quite a handful for our back line, but hopefully Gilberto and Flamini will provide enough cover to keep Villa out of our net.

Even with some big names missing, Arsenal's midfield should be able to boss around the possession, but even the lanky Emmanuel Adebayor will find it difficult to win a header against a huge Aston Villa back four.

I expect that we will find a way to goal through some intricate passing though, and I therefore think we can win the game 2-1. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be too disappointed at coming away from Villa park with a point.

Fabregas, Van Persie, Hleb and Clichy out for Villa Clash

Arsenal are still fighting an injury plague as Cesc Fabregas, Alex Hleb, and Gael Clichy all face fitness tests ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa. Robin van Persie is also set to miss the match, still struggling to recover from an injury he picked up in the an international fixture for the Netherlands.

There is some good news too: Mathieu Flamini will be fit for the late game at Villa park as Arsenal try to stay clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.

Arsene Wenger is hopeful that Hleb and Clichy will fit in time for Villa, but Cesc Fabregas is almost sure to miss the match.

"I don’t know how long it will be for Cesc," Wenger told Arsenal TV. "We hope it will be very, very, very short maybe he’ll even be OK for Saturday. But the medical staff are not optimistic about that. The worst case for him realistically is 10 days.

"We have a slight chance to get Gael Clichy and Alexander Hleb back. Mathieu Flamini will be available. Of course Van Persie is still out."

This means that Arsenal will face a tough game on Saturday, especially coming off of a midweek Champions League loss in Sevilla.

Tottenham Eat Veggies To Plug Leaky Defense

Anyone who read the papers over the summer knew the outcome of this Premier League season.

Derby were to be relegated along with two of your choices out of Fulham, Middlesbrough, Wigan, Sunderland or Birmingham. Manchester United were to pip the title with Liverpool and Chelsea fighting for second.

Dishearteningly to Arsenal fans, Tottenham were to take fourth, claiming England's final Champions League spot and relegating the Gunners to the UEFA Cup if they could beat off teams like Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Manchester City.

That tells you how much the pundits know.

After beating Wigan last weekend Arsenal are now three points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a game in hand against their nearest rivals, Manchester United. Chelsea and Liverpool are in fourth and fifth respectively, both behind Manchester City.

And Tottenham?

They've peaked at fourteenth. After spending much of the early season in the relegation zone, new boss Juande Ramos has brought them within one point of Fulham and Reading. It's not quite the season Spurs fans had envisioned.

The poor Tottenham defense has conceded 25 goals in 14 games, more than any other team in the Premiership other than Reading, Wigan, Middlesbrough, and Derby.

In fact, Tottenham have kept only five clean sheets in 20 games this season, holding ground only against the impressive opposition of Derby, Middlesbrough, Wigan, Blackpool, and Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

Perhaps best of all for Arsenal fans, Spurs kept up their losing streak against our brilliant young Gunners with a 1-3 loss to Arsenal at White Heart Lane.

You would think that the solution to Tottenhams problems would be to sell £16.5 million signing Darren Bent and go buy some defenders, a decent midfielder, and spend the rest on anybody they could pick up off the streets to replace Paul Robinson.

Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy didn't hire Juande Ramos to come up with conventional solutions though, and it seems that the board's trust is about to be repaid.

The former Sevilla manager (who has already had the experience of losing to Arsene Wenger's side at his old club) has come up with a brilliant solution to Tottenham's problems: vegetables.

That's right. Spurs will be implementing the newest form of team bonding, the diet.

Antonio Escribano has been hired by Tottenham to help enforce the diet, which is meant to improve the player's fitness levels.

I guess the diet isn't too bad of an idea either. I wouldn't mind seeing Tom Huddlestone take up a little less room on the pitch.

So what do you think, is Tottenham a football club or a cheerleading outfit?

Arsenal Rumors: Adriano and Agbonlahor

Despite having scored the most goals of any team in the Premiership so far this season, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger seems to be in hot pursuit of another striker or two.

21 year-old Congo striker Tresor Mputu is currently on trial with the Gunners, and Wenger looks set upon recalling teenage striking sensation Carlos Vela from his loan at Osasuna now that work permit restrictions have been worked out. Adding these two to an already impressive forward contingent of Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor, Eduardo, Theo Walcott, and Nicklas Bendtner would form quite an impressive front line. But Arsene Wenger wants more.

New rumors state that the Arsenal coach may look to sign out of favor Inter Milan striker Adriano on loan in January. The 25 year-old has only started four games for the Italian champions this season, and his club will be looking to escape paying his high wages by sending him out on loan.

I doubt the move will materialize though, especially considering that Wenger rejected a similar move in the summer.

At that point in time Wenger told reporters: "He [Adriano] is not needed. I was not out there [in the market] to take a striker on loan."

The next rumor could be more plausible though.

Arsenal could be looking to sign 21 year-old Gabriel Agbonlahor from Aston Villa. The move would be good for Arsenal's image with the British media, as the young striker is one of England's top prospects. Agbonlahor scored 9 league goals last season and looks like he will score many more this time around, already having scored five in his first twelve league games.

The England U21 player would be great as an impact substitute, or even starting alongside Robin van Persie. However, he would be tough to pry away from Aston Villa, who are currently trying to break in to the top-four cartel.

The striker would cost a reported £15 million, which I think would be a fair price for such a great talent.

Arsene Wenger always surprises in the transfer window though, and he's already stated that he only wants to strengthen one position in January, so we'll see what actually happens then.

Fabregas suspension planned in advance

Arsenal wrapped up a 3-1 victory at Reading yesterday on a bit of a sour note.

Cesc Fabregas, undoubtedly Arsenal's most influential player this season, was booked for the fifth time this season, resulting in a one match suspension.

Could it have been done on purpose?

To answer that question we should look at Arsenal's next few Premiership fixtures:

11/24 vs Wigan
12/1 @ Aston Villa
12/5 @ Newcastle
12/9 @ Middlesbrough
12/16 vs Chelsea
12/22 vs Tottenham
12/26 @ Portsmouth
12/29 @ Everton
1/1 vs West Ham

Of these eight fixtures, one stands out as by far the easiest: at home to Wigan. Of the remaining seven, only three are home fixtures (Chelsea and West Ham are nothing to laugh at), and only three (Newcastle, Middlesbrough, and Tottenham) are against bottom half teams. Of those three teams, Middlesbrough is the only team likely to face a relegation battle this season, with Newcastle and Tottenham both looking to challenge for European spots.

As a midfielder on four yellows, Fabregas was likely to get suspended eventually, and there would be no better game to lose him for than Wigan.

But would Fabregas stoop so low as to purposely get suspended?

The manner in which the yellow card occurred would lead me to venture a guess that he would.

My first reaction to the yellow was disappointment - how could our midfield maestro be so immature?

Truth be told, it may have just been another brilliant execution by Cesc Fabregas.

The midfielder held onto Fae's shirt for a good couple of seconds, so blatantly that even a blind refferree would be forced to book him. Nobody expects to get away with that.

Still, though, I was unsure.

The look on the player's face said it all though. No disappointment, no real argument... he had done it on purpose.

All he did was earn himself a well-deserved break...