John McGinn acknowledged that the “T-word” was prohibited at Aston Villa following Arsenal’s contentious victory.
Aston Villa defeated Arsenal 1-0 thanks to McGinn’s early goal, bringing Unai Emery’s team to within two points of the Premier League summit.
After losing to Mikel Arteta’s team in February, Villa had won 14 straight home games in the Premier League. Arsenal had to defeat them to reclaim top spot, which they had lost earlier on Saturday to Liverpool.
Prior to Saturday, Villa had never won fifteen straight top-flight home games. McGinn gave them the lead early on, and they were fortunate to have Kai Havertz’s late equalizer disallowed for a handball at the end.
Although Emery’s team’s victory solidified their position as title contenders in the Premier League, McGinn maintained that the word “title” had
After the match, the Scot declared, “I’m banning the T word,” in an interview with Sky Sports. It’s the sixteenth game week
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Thus, there is still a very long way to go. Furthermore, as I’ve already mentioned, we respect those who surround us and have held these positions for a long time. They have so much expertise with it. Can we keep up since we are novices?
“I’m not sure. Let’s see. With luck. The goals have been updated, but I’m not sure if that’s as aggressive as what you’re attempting to impose. However, it will take a few days. On Thursday, we have a match in Bosnia.
“Hopefully it won’t be too cold to try and lead the group, and we’ll reassess for the following week.” We always have a really hard game at Brentford, and I believe we lost both Douglas and Luca there.
Thus, it’s focusing our attention once again and working to enhance our away performance, which isn’t terrible but can be
Unai Emery, the manager of Aston Villa, has allegedly confided in “close friends” regarding a crucial mistake he committed while at Arsenal, which led to his dismissal from the London team.
After taking over for Arsene Wenger at Arsenal in 2018, Emery had a difficult tenure that lasted just one full season before he was fired in November 2019.
Since leaving North London, Emery’s fortunes have taken a dramatic turn for the better. In the Europa League final in 2021, he defeated Manchester United on penalties while playing for Villarreal.
Emery is the manager with the most wins in the competition with four, including that Europa League triumph.
His impressive performances in Spain led to a return to the Premier League in 2022, when he took over from Steven Gerrard who was sacked due to Villa flirting with the relegation zone.
Since Emery’s appointment, Aston Villa’s form has completely transformed, with the club now sitting fourth in the Premier League and boasting the best home record in the division, having won every match at Villa Park up to this point.
The impressive work he has done since joining Villa has cemented Emery as one of the best managers in the division.
He has since reflected on his time at Arsenal and The Athletic claim he has opened up to ‘close friends’ about the mistakes he made in London.
It is claimed the Villa boss admitted he was “too focused on just the football aspect within a club where politics are rife and diplomacy is key”
According to reports, the 52-year-old was taken aback by his dismissal, but he continued to think that the board fully trusted him because of his efforts in integrating players like Bukayo Saka.
The Athletic reports that even though it cost him his job at Arsenal, it seems to be having the exact opposite effect at Villa.
“The difference at Villa is that they indulge his footballing obsessions, building a network of his own choosing around him,” stated the report.
The Gunners will play a crucial match at Villa Park against the team led by Unai Emery, who was previously the manager of Arsenal.
In what is sure to be an exciting match, the leaders of the league are just four points ahead of third-place Aston Villa.
Last time out in the league, Leon Bailey’s goal in the second half helped the Midlands-based team defeat Manchester City.
Declan Rice’s last-minute winner against Luton Town, however, secured all three points in a nail-biting 3-2 victory at Kenilworth Road.
It remains to be seen if Aston Villa can maintain their incredible 100% winning record at Villa Park this year, but former manager Sherwood believes that if they defeat Arsenal, they should be regarded as title contenders.
Sherwood stated on Sky Sports: “We would have to seriously consider them as title contenders if they were to beat Arsenal today.”
“Upon observing the players they have sitting on the bench. They might run out of ammunition because Ollie Watkins may be their only center forward.
“However, I believe that international players are altering it by coming off the bench. They are dynamic and highly skilled.
The Spaniard was given a one-game touchline ban for his fervent celebration against Luton Town, which is why he was not present in the Villa Park dugout on Saturday.
But he observed from the stands as Unai Emery’s team secured all three points thanks to an early goal from John McGinn.
In the meantime, Arsenal might believe that Douglas Luiz’s contact with Gabriel Jesus’ calf on the back warranted a penalty from referee Jarred Gillett and the VAR.
In fact, when it was determined that Kai Havertz’s hand had contact with the ball prior to his close-range goal, Arteta’s team was also denied an equalizer.
Mikel Arteta was asked to comment on both refereeing calls during his post-match press conference after the full-time whistle.
He responded, “Clear and obvious,” to a reporter’s question, “That they were wrong?”
With evident lack of interest in providing further details, the 41-year-old responded, “No, no, clear and obvious.”
When a second reporter pressed Arteta for more details, they were met with the same response. “Unambiguous and evident. I mean exactly that,” he grinned.
In an interview with the BBC shortly after the full-time whistle, Arteta was also questioned about the incidents, and you guessed it—he said, “It’s clear and obvious for me.”
Arsenal, who are one point behind Liverpool in second place and are vying for the title, did enough, in Arteta’s opinion, to win on Saturday night.
“The outcome. He declared, “I’m really proud of the way the team played against this team in this stadium.” “We should have won the game, but you also need to play better in the boxes and have things go your way.
“The inability to put the ball in the net was one of the things. We lost a little bit of control, gave the ball away, and attacked the ball too quickly, particularly in the second half. Given how they defend with the line, you would think we could put the ball in behind them, but we could
As per the Telegraph, manager Unai Emery is aware of the issue, with the club now working with kit manufacturer Castore to try to find a speedy resolution.
Like most Premier League clubs Villa launched a new home, away and third kit this term, but supporters have have noticed the shirts are quickly becoming wet through, while perspiration sees it cling to players during games.
And the Telegraph has alleged that this has prompted players to complain, claiming it is having an impact on performances. Meanwhile they have told members of the Villa bosses that the shirts become uncomfortable and heavy.
The problem has been particularly obvious on the home shirts, which quickly turn much darker that their original claret during games. However, players have reportedly claimed the white away kit is just as bad
Villa are two years into their “multi-year deal” with Castore and it remains to be seen whether or not the issue could affect that deal.
Indeed, Newcastle triggered an exit clause to free themselves of a contract with Castore that had been due to run to 2027, so they can switch to Adidas from the start of next season.
Speaking to Telegraph Sport, a source close to a Villa player, said: “The players are having to play in soaking wet t-shirts and it is a problem that needs to be solved. It cannot go on all season. The players look like they’ve jumped in a swimming pool after about 10 minutes.”
Despite the complaints, Villa have won four of their opening six Premier League games.
Meanwhile, the issue will not impact replica shirts bought by fans, meaning the club will not face the possibility of having to recall kits or issue replacements to the public.
SPORTbible have approached Castore for comment on the matter
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