The Gunners have dug themselves into a hole in their semifinal tie with Villarreal. Unai Emery’s squad manhandled the Gunners for most of the match and jumped out to a 2-0 lead after only 29 minutes. Only a Pepe penalty kick in the second half gave Mikel Arteta’s squad a chance to redeem themselves in the Emirates Stadium on Thursday.
So, here we were, in probably our most meaningful match to date when the manager decides to go without a striker in his starting XI. Aubameyang, Nketiah and Martinelli all watched from the bench.
The Gunners have not done this all season, so why start now, in this match? Was there a method to Arteta’s madness? If there was, it sure didn’t work.
The match ended with 10 v 10 on the pitch, and a 2-1 win for Villarreal on the scoreboard.
With the season winding down, Arsenal is 10th in the Premier League, and fighting for their lives in the Europa League.
Unai Emery clearly won on Thursday. The former Arsenal manager outsmarted his replacement at The Emirates. Can he do it again on Thursday? Let’s hope not.
No cheers today.
Gunner1953
According to Metro, Arsenal is interested in Chelsea forward Neto.
The Mirror is reporting the Gunners would have to pay Galatasaray at least $81.2-million (USD) to sign Victor Osimhen.
Since the beginning of the 2015/2016 season, Arsenal has now won 5 of the last 12 Community Shields, including Sunday’s 3-0 win over Manchester City.
