Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal: Arteta’s Three Huge Mistakes Highlighted

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side was beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa thanks to an early goal from Ollie Watkins.

Bertrand Traore capitalised on a poor pass from Cedric Soares to tee up Watkins, whose effort was deflected past debutant goalkeeper Mat Ryan by Rob Holding.

The win saw Arsenal stay tenth in the Premier League table, nine points off the top four, while Villa leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur into eighth.

Here are three things Arteta got wrong in the 1-0 defeat.

Cedric error highlights need for left-back depth

Cedric’s error which lead to Villa’s goal only highlighted the need for a left-footed defender at left-back and, although he has done well recently, the 29-year-old is surely better suited to providing competition for Hector Bellerin.

Odegaard’s cameo suggests he should have started

Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard came off the bench in the second half to replace Cedric and the Norwegian international immediately impressed.

Odegaard showed signs of his quality on the ball and the 22-year-old will surely be in line for a start when the Gunners face Leeds United on Sunday.

Arsenal’s goalkeeper situation

The decision to sell Emiliano Martinez to Villa would have been a difficult one for Arteta but, with the goalkeeper desperate to play regularly and Arteta keeping faith in Bernd Leno as his first-choice, a departure was inevitable.

However, Arsenal’s transfer business after Martinez left has been questionable, with Runar Alex Runarsson initially brought in as a back-up.

Daily Star Sport