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
The Gunners defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Wednesday to win both matches in this season’s North London Derby. With the win Arsenal moves back into 2nd place on the Premier League table.
According to The Mail, Arsenal, is in advanced talks to sign Real Sociedad Martin Zubimendi at the end of this season for a reported $61.2-million (USD).
Takehiro Tomiyasu has returned to full training with the first team after recovering from a knee injury. 
Martin Odegaard, “We need to be sharper in the key moments to make sure we get the results we’ve worked for. We have to keep going and keep improving. There is no choice for us now.”
