Arsenal kicks the bucket at home on Sunday against Aston Villa. Surely, there´s only agony for the Gunners´ as their English Premier League (EPL) title hopes are now all but over after losing to Villa, 2-0. Pundits say there´s no way Manchester City will falter in their remaining six games. For the second year running, Arsenal had one hand on the Cup, and let it slip.
Liverpool fell dramatically to third after biting the bullet against lowly Crystal Palace, 1-0, on April 14, 2024. Jurgen Klopp´s last season as the Reds´ manager tastes increasingly bitter.
What does this loss mean in the title race? Klop quipped: “The answer is pretty easy. If we play like we did in the first half, how should we win the league? If we play like we did in the second half, we can win football games. If we can win football games, we will see how many we can win, and then we want to be around when the other guys struggle, if they struggle.” That´s a big if, Coach.
Why Arsenal Kicks the Bucket
https://gty.im/1836049910
Why is it that Arsenal kicks the bucket when the going gets tough at season´s end? The Gunners and their diehard fans have waited for EPL glory now for 20 long years. But Mikel Arteta´s militia choked on their big chance for a second straight year. Meanwhile, they allowed Villa coach Unai Emery some revenge. Arsenal fired Emery in November 2019, after 18 months at the London helm.
Tactically, Arteta stationed Kai Havertz in central midfield, despite the German’s recent string of goals up front. If the German handled the two golden chances that came his way in the opening 15 minutes, the gamble would´ve paid off nicely. But he couldn´t latch onto a cross from Bukayo Saka. Then he managed to fire straight at Arsenal ´old boy´ and Argentine World Cup winner Emiliano Martínez following a brilliant Leandro Trossard pass, according to The Guardian´s Ed Aarons.
Arsenal´s head Mikel Arteta seemed calm in the face of a brewing storm. “I think we should’ve scored three, four, five goals in the first half, and that would’ve been a very different game. That’s not the case, and we have to accept that and we have to praise the opponent. They beat us and we have to move. It is about reacting now,” the Gunner boss said. Villa´s Emery hopes Arteta´s fate will be the same as his, if Arsenal kicks the bucket soon.
Can Arsenal Dodge the Bullet vs. Bayern?
https://gty.im/2148515025
Next, Arsenal travels to Bayern Munich in midweek, with their Champions League quarter-final series knotted 2-2 after the first London leg. However, the Germans are a force to reckon with in the coziness of their home stadium in Bavaria. If Arsenal kicks the bucket vs. Bayern on Wednesday night, their Champions League dreams are dashed for another year.
“It´s now after that defeat, how you show your character and your leadership. And going to Munich, we have a beautiful opportunity to do that,” Arteta waxed poetically. Can Arsenal show they have what it takes following last season´s washout?
At the moment, Man City sits pretty at 2-5 odds to win this year´s EPL. These two crushing defeats left the Gunners with 9-2 chances to take it all. The Liverpudlians drifted to 6-1, in the words of the Racing Post.
“Aston Villa: The Greatest Name in Football”
https://gty.im/2148638513
You´re probably dying to know how the team Aston Villa got its name. At one point, there was a three-way English intersection that comprised the Villa area. In 1850, there was a small church nearby named the ´Aston Villa Wesleyan Chapel.´
Famed British journalist Richard Whitehead claimed: “There are loads of Uniteds, lots of Citys and Towns, a goodly sprinkling of Wanderers and Rovers, and even a few Albions. But there is only one Villa—the greatest name in football in every sense.”
Rest assured: if Arsenal kicks the bucket this year, Arteta may find his way to that Aston Villa chapel to pray for his job.
For More Great Content
Prolific hoops and soccer writer Will Beebe has been Arsenal fan since seeing the Gunners in person when they beat all comers at their old Highbury ground in 1995.
