William Saliba was furious at Arsenal’s lack of cutting edge in front of goal against Brighton, and there is a clear reason why that must change versus Aston Villa.
During the weekend’s 2-1 win over the Seagulls, Arsenal generated an xG of 3.08 from 24 attempts at goal, highlighting their inability to put teams away.
William Saliba was spotted telling Gabriel Magalhaes, “We’re not mean enough,” as a reference to the team’s struggles in front of goal.
Fill in the blank: I feel ____________ about Arsenal’s chances of ending Aston Villa’s 11-game win streak…
If it wasn’t for David Raya’s save of the season, the Gunners could well have dropped two points at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Currently, Mikel Arteta’s team are struggling to put games to bed, and against Aston Villa, one statistic shows that they won’t get away with it again on Tuesday evening.
Aston Villa have won five Premier League away games from losing positions
Aston Villa have won five Premier League away games from losing positions this season, as highlighted by Tim Stillman.
Unai Emery’s team have beaten Chelsea, West Ham United, Brighton, Leeds and Tottenham, all of which they found themselves losing during the game.
The former Villa boss has implemented a never-say-die attitude into his Villa team, which should be a real warning for the North London side.
Most recently, Villa did what Arsenal couldn’t by winning at Stamford Bridge, with an Ollie Watkins brace turning the game on its head.
Even last season, Villa fought back from 2-0 down at the Emirates to earn a point in the same fixture.
Which Arsenal player needs to step up and top this list in January 2026?
Therefore, Arsenal must be more clinical on Tuesday evening and avoid the game becoming one in which they are holding on at the end.
Arsenal fans have become concerned about the lack of finished chances in recent matches, with the team scoring just one goal from open play in their last four matches.
There is also the embarrassing stat that only Noni Madueke managed more than two goals in December for the Gunners, with own goals leading the way on four.
Arsenal need to leave Viktor Gyokeres on the bench vs Aston Villa
One player Arteta must swap out of the team from Saturday’s win is Viktor Gyokeres, who has been really struggling as of late.
Gyokeres was really poor against Brighton, and the Gunners need to find an alternative option against Villa.
Kai Havertz is back in the Arsenal squad for the huge clash, and Gabriel Jesus also appears to be fully fit.
Mikel Merino is a fourth option up front for Arteta, and could be the man to lead the line on Tuesday.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
