Premier League 2020/21: Why Aston Villa will finish above Arsenal this season – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Aston Villa picked up a 1-0 win over Arsenal in their last Premier League game and it was the first time in 37 years that the West Midlands club managed to complete a Premier League double over the Gunners.
Aston Villa are currently ninth in the Premier League table with 35 points from 21 matches and Arsenal find themselves outside of the top half with just 31 points from 23 League games.
Villa could be 10 points ahead of the Gunners if they win their next two games. A couple of wins could also take them into the top four. Fourth-placed Liverpool have 40 points from 23 matches.
A club of Arsenal’s stature is expected to qualify for the Champions League at the very least and it will require a herculean effort from Arteta’s players to secure a top-four finish from this position now.
At the start of the season, few would have expected Aston Villa to be in this position but it wouldn’t be surprising if they finished above Arsenal in the Premier League now.
They have proven themselves to be a more cohesive and confident unit as compared to the London side so far. Smith has got his summer transfer business spot on and Aston Villa have beautiful balance across the pitch.
The West Midlands club needed to bring in a quality striker and a right back at the start of the summer. The likes of Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash have been inspiring additions to the squad.
Furthermore, they needed to bring in proper cover for star player Jack Grealish and the likes of Ross Barkley and Morgan Sanson are more than capable.
On the other hand, Arsenal have failed to address their weaknesses in the summer. The Londoners have been quite mediocre going forward this season and star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has failed to hit his peak form so far.
Arsenal have scored just 27 league goals so far and only seven Premier League teams have scored less than them at this stage of the season.
The January transfer window was an opportunity for them to fix their faltering attack but Arteta has failed to do so.
The Gunners have some big games coming up in the next few weeks and it could determine their fate this season.
The Londoners will take on Leeds United, Manchester City, Leicester City, Tottenham, West Ham and Liverpool in their next seven Premier League games. Also, the game against Leeds kicks off a spell of five matches in 14 days.
With the Europa League games sandwiched in between, the players are likely to feel jaded during this period and the performances could suffer.
On the other hand, Aston Villa will be up against beatable sides like Brighton, Leicester, Leeds, Wolves, Newcastle, Sheffield United and Fulham in the next seven games. They do not have the baggage of European football either.
It will be interesting to see how the two sides navigate these fixtures in the coming weeks.
Villa have already exceeded expectations this season and they are under no pressure. But Arsenal are under tremendous pressure to turn their season around and meet the expectations of the fans.
There is no doubt that Arsenal have a more difficult set of fixtures in the coming weeks. Most of the teams they will face in the coming weeks are above them in the table.
The Londoners managed to pick up some form towards the end of December and they went unbeaten in seven league games. However, they have lost their last two Premier League games against Wolves and Villa.
The Gunners are lacking in confidence and momentum right now. They have a testing period of seven games coming up and it is fair to assume that they could struggle against the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham.
Aston Villa are likely to be more confident and fresh heading into the business end of the season and they certainly have a good chance of finishing above Arsenal.