Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Arsenal

[Giro]

Not our day, dunno how Watkins missed them chances 

we go again 

[romavillan]

4 minutes ago, Aston_Villan4 said:

This is clearly a top 4 side. Nothing wrong with having bad days at the office. Especially when arguably our best player is well out of form. As good as Kosta was against Martinelli, we definitely need Geertruida. Cash’s hammy is going to give him problems all season.

Thought Ned was very good, he will be one of the first names on the team sheet before long.

[Villastine]

I wouldn't have taken McGinn off, think he was playing well. 

 

[HanoiVillan]

As everyone has noted, we played well. Even if you ignored the goals I think they shaded it on general play but we played lots of good stuff ourselves, and matched up very well tactically. In the end Nedeljkovic has been caught out for both their goals, though the second is really on Emi. But it's not a disaster that we're holding our own with one of the two best sides in the league apart from a couple of lapses from a sub who wouldn't have been on apart from injury. We should go out and buy Gertruida. 

Ollie getting a lot of the blame for his misses, and rightly so with the first one, though I think in the case of the second one he's stretching to reach it so was probably hard to direct and it's a worldie of a save. Duran didn't do much of anything to suggest he should be starting instead. 

Rogers had another spectacular game. The lad is box office. He's nothing like Grealish in how he plays but he has the same 'I'm turning up to watch *him* even if we lose' feel about him. Really optimistic for the season he'll have. 

We played well, it was a game of fine margins, we're still right up there among the best sides in the league. Let's go beat Leicester and put a smile back on everyone's faces. 

[Pinebro]

Cringe Arsenal celebrations at the end there

This is why they won't win titles. Too emotional

[VillaChris]

We probably played better today than when we actually beat them at VP last season.

Very impressive with our level for an hour back to front but we simply had to score one of those two chances.

You don't and a title challenge inevitably will find a way to score from very little.

We're going to have another very good season I think. Leicester, Everton, Wolves and Ipswich our next four so we should be right up there going into October.

[HeroesAndVillans]

Few years ago we'd have been happy to have kept the scoreline respectable, now we are disappointed we didn't win. Progress, lads. Progress.

[sheepyvillian]

7 minutes ago, est1874 said:

How the **** did Bailey make it through 90 mins playing like that? So, so poor.

He wasn't at his best today that's for sure.

[Rugeley Villa]

I think we look a more solid team than last season . We’ll do well again. 

[mottaloo]

Ollie undercooked/no pre season (for obvious reasons I guess). Two sitters missed against a team like Arse is too costly. 

MOTM  - Rogers. No one else even close. The kid is immense 

[dufresne1947]

I thought we were outstanding, gave one of the two best sides in the league a really tough game. We play this game in 3 weeks when Watkins has got his sharpness back and he scores both of them.

Rogers was absolutely outstanding, the way he dealt with probably the most physical team in the league blew me away.

On top of that the skill and vision he has makes me think that in a year or so he’ll be recognised as one of the best players in the league.

I thought Nedeljković (yes I copy and pasted for spelling purposes) had a very good game, got caught out a few times but I’m sure he’ll learn.

Bring on the champions league games, we’ve proved we can match the best sides in Europe 

[Dale]

Ho hum. Should've won. Which given they're likely to be one of the few above us is good going. 

[villa4europe]

2 minutes ago, romavillan said:

Don't think we were especially poor at the start but after the goal, we'd made the changes and it took the wind out of our sails. 

For the most part we were really good today, bodes well for the season. Ollie hasn't got the minutes in his legs yet like he rest of them, and you could argue the same for Emi. We did enough to win that and that should be enough to be satisfied with that performance today. It means we can compete with the very best teams in this league and I reckon we will only get better.

Never fun to lose but very positive signs and I for one am keeping the faith and am pleased with how good we are already, the best is yet to come.

Dunno if me saying poor at the start is fair, arsenal kept the ball really really well for the first 15-20 mins 

On arsenal, obviously a good team, still think odegaard is the best player in the PL, two CBs are very good, Saka is a whiney bitch, havertz is a dirty word removed, they will fall short of city again

[Eligius]

Had the two best chances in the match, gutted we didn't get at least a point but seeing how the likes of Rogers and some of the others are developing gives me hope for the season.

[Dale]

Also sod international football. 

[briny_ear]

Disappointing start to our home campaign. It’s marginally better to come away from a game knowing we missed our chances and they scored a couple of smart goals vs. They overran us and we had no skin in the game.

However, it’s only marginally better. The bald statistics are still that we lost and Arsenal took the points. I’m wondering if we have a Watkins-shaped problem at the top of our attack. He is our only senior striker and that is obviously how he likes things. But his first two performances have been worryingly underpowered.

[Aston_Villan4]

4 minutes ago, romavillan said:

Thought Ned was very good, he will be one of the first names on the team sheet before long.

Agreed but I think Geertruidas UCL experience will be vital in the long run and he’s a better player offensively than Kosta. But I agree I think Kosta will eventually be a big player for us.

[NorthEastVillan]

In one word... wasteful.

We competed quite well with a team tipped for the title. Game was 50/50 and was decided by simple finishing.

Both had chances, Villa narrowly edging it on clear cut ones.

Meh, I still look back on the 5-1 newcastle result and see how we ended. 2-0 to Arsenal not the end of the world. Well improve, Ollie will take many more chances as the season goes on.

Lots of positives, a few negatives but it's 2 games in. League won't be decided on this result.

[Villaphan04]

thought that was a very good performance. Don't want to criticize Emery as it was the rebound for the first goal was a fluke, but I think Maatsen for Digne should've been the same time Ramsey came on (and that he could've taken McGinn out. 

[Mantis]

Thought we played well. Would be far more concerned if it was the same scoreline but we were shit.