Aston Villa are sitting third in the Premier League table after Manchester City and Arsenal played out a classic encounter at the Etihad on Sunday.
The two managers – Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta – might be close friends, but there is certainly no love lost between the players.
From Villa’s perspective, even though Unai Emery will have his feet firmly on the ground, a draw would have suited his team before the game because it keeps them in third place.
John Stones provided that dramatic moment in the 98th minute when he bundled home the equaliser against an Arsenal side that were down to ten men for large parts of the match.
Only 24 hours before, Aston Villa showcased their comeback strengths once more against a pretty poor Wolves side.
Villa took Wolves to the cleaners in the second half, even though the winless side looked like a top-of-the-table team during the first 45 minutes.
Either way, it means Emery and his players, despite a few defensive problems, are going strong, especially with their Champions League campaign underway.
Michael Owen stated after Manchester City and Arsenal’s draw that it was ‘a good result for Liverpool’, in regards to the title race, they are second in the table, level on points with Villa.
The former striker thinks ‘on current evidence’ Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are a ‘step ahead’ of everyone else.
But Owen then stated that ‘there will be a few arguing about that’, including Villa, as he told Premier League Productions (22/09/24 at 7:25 pm).
Premier League title race
“It probably was a good result for Liverpool,” responded Owen to Arsenal’s draw at Manchester City.
“There are other teams that are in this title race. But you have to say, on current evidence, you would think Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester are possibly a step up ahead.
“There will be a few arguing about that. Villa fans. But it’s almost a good result for everybody because it keeps it all bubbling nicely.”
Aston Villa are papering over the cracks
It’s a great start from Villa, but they are also papering over the cracks, especially at home where they keep falling behind.
This needs to be taken out of the system, and then the team will well and truly motor forward, with the bench strength as good as anyone’s.
Jhon Duran can’t stop scoring and will be handed a start very soon, Ross Barkley has been an unsung hero from the bench and is another player who deserves starting minutes.
The fact that John McGinn is injured and it isn’t much of a worry, because of players like Barkley, says everything about the squad.
