Arsenal should beware Emery's Aston Villa curveball that teed up Man City win
Statistics can lie. Of course, they can.
But in football - as far as records go, anyway - they tend not to. They are a decent yardstick by which to measure the success - or failure - of any club. Or, in the case of Aston Villa under Unai Emery, are beaten. Their thoroughly-deserved triumph over Manchester City was hailed as ‘a masterclass’ after the final whistle.
But to view what has been, so far at least, the crowning glory over the treble-winners in isolation is ignoring the facts that have been laid out before many disbelieving eyes. In the build-up to the game, the BBC’s boffins presented a few titbits of their own. They are plagiarised here - not shamelessly - but copied to prove a point.
Unai Emery’s side equalled a club record of 14 home league wins, set in 1903 and matched from December 1930 to October 1931. Villa have won their opening seven home matches in a top-flight season for the first time since 1932.
Aston Villa’s tally of 32 points is now their highest return after 15 games of a Premier League season. Their total of 23 Premier League victories in 2023 is bettered only by Manchester City’s 26.
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They haven’t dropped a point from a winning position this season, winning all ten games in which they have led. Ollie Watkins has scored 20 Premier League goals in 2023, one fewer than that set by Dwight Yorke in 1996.
Unai Emery has got Aston Villa firing (Ryan Browne/REX/Shutterstock)HAVE YOUR SAY: Where will Villa finish in the table this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Courtesy of a colleague, here’s a few more. Villa have not conceded one in any game at home going back to February 18 - a game that saw them lose 4-2 to Arsenal.
Since then, their record reads, played 14, won 14, drawn none, lost none, goals for 38, goals against 7, points 42. They have always been competitive at Villa Park under Emery. But, as he admitted after the game against Manchester City - no-one saw this coming.
That defeat to Arsenal - and a similar four-goal reversal to Leicester City - has prompted a re-think. Emery referenced those eight goals during his post-match musings as if some line in the sand had been drawn afterwards. That’s entirely possible.
Leon Bailey grabbed Villa's winner on a huge night for the Midlands club (AFP via Getty Images)One thing that every Villa player agrees upon, with a smile, is the amount of meetings the Spaniard has. Unai loves a meeting. That much is clear.
In the pre-match build-up, there was a meeting on the day of the game against Manchester City. Emery gave the impression that he was holding some mid-morning roll-call to find out which of his players were fit enough.
That was some kind of curveball for us assembled hacks. Fit? They ran Pep Guardiola’s side ragged. Can they do it for the rest of the campaign? Who knows? Who among us thought that Leicester City were genuine title challengers in mid-December seven years ago?
Now, the stage has been set this Saturday for an unlikely top-of-the-table dust-up. Arsenal lie in wait. Resurgent, tough, champions-elect Arsenal.
You suspect - for the first time in a generation - Villa Park is licking its lips at the prospect of what might come next.
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