Saka earns win for the Gunners as they begin title defence with back-to-back victories

0:06Thanks for joining us on the Sky Sports Premier League podcast. Monday night football took us to Villa Park this week where Aston Villa went up against Arsenal. Here's how the evening unfolded.

0:25No signs of weakness in the first two games of Arsenal's title defence in his 250th Premier League match as manager Mikel Arteta celebrates another victory, another clean sheet and the goal scored by Bukayo Saka who's now scored in the first two league matches. of this season. They broke through against this Aston Villa side just before the hour mark when their patience was rewarded with a really neat move. And although Aston Villa didn't melt in the same way that they did against Brighton a week ago, there was never too much doubt about the outcome beyond that, wasn't it, Gary? No, I don't think it's the worst night for Aston Villa.

1:12They're building, obviously, back after losing a lot of players and they'll get better. but for Arsenal sometimes you think of a statement win being 3-4-5-0. That's a statement win where you just restrict the other team from having chances in shots on goal and just look completely in control, measured, patient, mature, been around the block and I think Calafiore actually could have been my man of the match tonight. He was outstanding in the goal scorer Saka. He'll be really happy, Mikel Arteta, because his team are consistent and they're reliable and that's all you want in a football player. Well, we're the big game against potential challengers.

1:50Chelsea to come next. Another show of strength from Arsenal. Aston Villa nil, Arsenal 1. As John McGinn's conversation with the officials continues. But two out of two for Arsenal at the start of this season, just as it was last. And only two teams, two games into the season, have yet to concede. Arsenal and Hull City. Familiar scoreline. Eight 1-0 victories last season. They've got another one here. And Thierry, was this a little reminder after last week that it was the grit and determination that took Arsenal to the title? Very much sure of what we saw of Arsenal away from home last year. High determination.

2:32Everybody runs, run, they lose the ball, they attack, they defend together. No shots on target against them today. Just, you know, great job. And I know people will tell me, yeah, but Villa a bit struggling. Villa made it as difficult that they could make it for Arsenal. I think that if you go and talk about what Villa did also, you know, Suzuki looks a player for them. Jackson had an okay game, I would say. Torres and Lindelof were a tiny bit better at it. Matikash for a very long time. Looked like he was doing well, but this man on the screen came up with the goal on a great move. outside, you know, you're going to explain it, Jamie, on the positioning of the...

3:16Seven goals last season from Bacardi Saka. Yes. Two in two to start this campaign and promising signs for Arsenal, though, as Thierry says, there were good performers in the Aston Villa side as well, not least debutant Zian Suzuki in goal, particularly with his feet. Looks like he really enjoys that side of the game building up, so more to come from Aston Villa, surely, this season. But Arsenal, beating in their last season are off to a winning start away from home. And we'll see them both again this coming weekend. Friday night we get going again. Ipswich, Liverpool at seven. And then on Saturday night, Hull City looking to make it three on the bounce when they take on Aston Villa.

3:54Super Sunday, Everton, Manchester United will be followed by Arsenal up against Chelsea. And that million pounds is still up for grabs in Super 6. scan that QR code, sign up, and remember, it is free to play. Kai Osaka scoring in back-to-back games to kick things off as well. 1-0, they edged it, seven shots apiece, but Villa didn't manage one on target. They didn't manage one on target against Brighton, and the second team in the last 23 years since that data has been collected not to have a shot on target in the first two matches. Arsenal, on the flip side, have only faced three shots on target across those first two matches.

4:33Once again, so strong defensively, and with dominating possession as well. What did you make of it, Jamie? Listen, I think Aston Villa did OK considering new players in there, who they were up against as well on the back of such a poor performance last week. And I think the only thing Villa could really do was try and stay in the game as long as possible. And they did that to a certain extent. And listen, they had a lot of half chances themselves around the edge of the box where dangerous situations, but you are looking at arguably the best team defensively in world football. so it is very, very difficult.

5:07Great goalkeeper and I think Gary mentioned yesterday on Super Sunday about how many back fours there are that we look at and he only mentioned Arsenal but I'd give a little shout out to the back four for Aston Villa actually. In the main, and I forget last week, in the main, they are a very solid back four and when you think of all the change that's come with Aston Villa this season, that back four was players who were there last season as well so the way you and I already set them up, you can see the organisation so it wasn't a classic, there wasn't amazing play or lots of goals But for me, maybe as a defender, I could like bits of what I saw from both back fours.

5:41I gave someone too much credit because Arsenal have only faced one shot on target in those first two matches. We talked a lot about how they may or may not evolve having become champions or whether the sort of handbrake comes off a little bit. But does that show us yet again that if they're going to be champions, defence is going to be key for Arsenal? Yes, it is. when you mentioned defending and you mentioned earlier Jamie back four it's how they defend as a team and now they attack as a team and Jamie again I mentioned it before will show it you have people going in position but they're keeping that shape to make sure so they're not going to get counted but one thing is sure with Arsenal everybody needs to run you don't have any passengers in that team this is how you win a title and people always talk about individuality and stuff like that I keep on mentioning it recently but that team are even more sure about what they're about.

6:36You can see. You can see that they're so good at it. At one point, Declan Rice went to stop the run of, I think it was Madsen. Yeah. And Ben White allowed him to go inside. Declan Rice didn't even stop, put his body in, stop the counter. They're so strong and sure about what they're doing. But as a collective, Kai Advers can keep the ball in any situation at any time. They're clever. The only thing you can say is, oh, Zolis maybe wasn't equipped for that away game in the prime, but that will come for him. But when you look at it, you're just looking at how can you score against Arsenal so far?

7:09How can you score against Arsenal? I just couldn't say it today. And also, I was struggling to see how we were going to score. But the way they go about it, the way Buka Yusaka also comes across. Back in the days, he would have been daydreaming on the back post, looking at the cross, but he was there to make sure he was going to score. But they're sure about it, but everybody runs. Strong defensively, but as Thierry says, Bukayo Saka got himself in the right position. How did Arsenal open Villa up when they really needed to, James? Yeah, but Dave, you talk about, and a lot of people say it, maybe we say it, maybe it's a bit lazy when we're analysing Arsenal.

7:42We talk about taking the handbrake off. At times, maybe it's due to lack a little bit of stardust. But in terms of taking the handbrake off, I'm going to show you what they do with their full-backs that is different to every team in the Premier League, and it leads to the goal. So this is a clip from the first half. Just keep an eye. So you've got Calafiori here at left-back, and we've got Ben White. there at right back. Look at the positions the two full backs take up. Don't follow the ball. Look at Calafiore, he's now a left winger. Ben White is in an inside right position in a number 10 role.

8:12So when we're talking about taking the handbrake off, they're two full backs. So Ben White makes a run in behind the defence. Calafiore, he is on the last line. Five seconds later, who makes the run in behind the defence? Calafiore. So their full backs are just roaming every, but what they do have is great organisation behind the ball which allows their full backs to be so adventurous I mean Calafiore just doesn't stop I mean the first three games of the season what is it a couple of assists and a goal he's got already something like that but Ben White's in the box Calafiore at the back post so they get bodies forward and especially with the full backs now I go to the goal now you've got like a front six if you like Calafiore's the width on the left Ben White is just inside Saka who's providing the width So you have full-back outside, full-back inside.

9:03Winger inside, winger outside. So I just think the way he deals with his full-backs, for me, is fantastic. And the licence he gives them, Mikel Arteta. And you think of it in the past, when you saw a goal before the game, did we Ashley Cole? You can't think of anyone sort of getting forward, being so devastating for Arsenal from left-back. But for me, I'm looking at Calafiore, I'm thinking, what a player. I mean, for me, he feels like he's the best left back in the league by a long way. But I just want to look at the difference. And remember what I said earlier about Calafiore being outside and Ben White being inside.

9:42In the lead up to the goal. So now we flip it. Now Ben White is outside. Saka's inside. Calafiore's inside. Winger outside. So the opposite on both sides. Is this all choreographed? Of course it is. At this level of football, they know exactly what they're doing. and this is where the goal comes from. So because he's inside, he gets their crossing. Because Saka's inside, he goes and gets the goal. So that constant rotation of movement when you watch Arsenal play, especially from full-backs, is something I don't think we see any team in the Premier League do. It's a real standout for them. And especially this guy, Ben White, of course, we know, as Thierry mentioned before the game, great relationship with Saka.

10:21But for me, Calafiore is by far and away the best left-back in the Premier League. He's absolutely fantastic. The level of understanding, I don't know if we can go back, if we have the time, the level of understanding of the situation of how he saw that Calafiore with his brain, if we can go back into it. Because at the very beginning, he's in front of camera, right? He's right there. Then he looks to see what's the situation. He just does this. Have a look. So he goes, first and foremost, to ask for the ball. As Jamie said, he's going to ask for the ball. What about for us, Thierry? He is kind of looking at situations, assessing the situation.

10:59They don't need me here. Let me go back behind camera. Nobody is reacting. Now you freeze Matty Cash, right? You freeze him. He can't go. Now it's a domino effect. We can go inside, but it's the awareness of just doing this and go behind. And now I can turn, play me across, they go inside. And yes, Jamie, you're totally right. It is by design. But at one point, the understanding of the player and the cleverness of the player to be able to make that step, knowing what's going to happen behind, is outstanding because I love Calafari, by the way. But when he plays for Italy, he doesn't do that often.

11:34So the system allow him to express himself. I think Bukayo Saka might have liked that goal analysis. Here he is, ready and waiting to speak to us. Bukayo, you're on. How tough was that? Yeah, very, very tough game. I'll be honest, yeah. It's not easy coming here. We knew that. And they made it really, really hard for us. so it feels even better to come out of the win. What did they make hard for you tonight? I think the way they defended, really compact. Obviously, with the high line, they were catching us offside a lot of times as well. So, yeah, we had to adapt to that. It was quite different to what we faced last week, and obviously we knew that, but we weren't able to implement our attacking patterns the way we wanted to and the way we did last week.

12:17Did you feel one goal might be enough?

12:23One goal. It's normally enough for us because we're so solid at the back. But, you know, when we get the first one, I think it did open up the game even more. And we could have got the second. We had two penalty shouts that didn't go our way. But, yeah, we wanted to push for the second. But, Kyle, we've just analysed your goal before you came. And I'm sure you were listening to it. But I just think it's fantastic, certainly the freedom that Mikel Arteta seems to give to your full-backs, Ben White and Califiori. At times they're inside, sometimes they're outside. how much work goes into that on the training ground especially with the wide players including yourself yeah we work a lot on that and um that's what i was referring to earlier about our attacking patterns um but yeah definitely ricky and ben and all the other fullbacks when they play they give us a lot especially for us wingers when it's when it's tough and compact and there's two two players on us you know their runs and yeah their dynamism just opens up the game for us you know you can find them and they're always they're always got composure in the box when they arrive there and Ricky showed that again today for my goal.

13:25Bukai, you have a congratulations first and foremost. I'm waiting for that 15-15 season by the way, assistant goals, but that's a different topic for another day. No, we talk about a tactic, we talk about a pattern of play, but there is one thing that's very evident that people do not often, well, we talk about it, but people always give credit to the defence and rightly so, but the way you guys run as a team, is it a matter of Mikel saying to you at times, you guys can have that freedom to move and whatnot, but as soon as we lose the ball, you guys got to run. Yeah, and he did give us credit just then in the changing room, because like I said, we weren't at our highest level with the ball tonight, but without the ball, we were incredible.

14:10As soon as we lost it, we were running back, because we know that they want to attack us on the transition, and we know that's where they're dangerous. So yeah, all the boys put in a shift tonight, and that helps with the clean sheet, that helps with the defending as well. Why can't we talk about 15-15 season now? No, because you know, I think Bukayo does a lot of work, as we know, of the ball. And then I do believe that when Ben White is with him and Calafiori is there, I'm not having a go at anyone else. I'm just saying that the understanding that they have can maybe free him to have a bit a tiny bit more.

14:44But that's two goals already, Bukayo. Back-to-back goals in the Premier League, I think, for the first time in almost two years. so what are you thinking in terms of your target? Yeah, I keep my target to myself guys but what I do is every week I want to be there and try and decide the game because I think that's what I'm in the team to do and that's my mentality We're looking forward to watching you on Sunday we're going to be doing the Arsenal-Chelsea game have you seen Chelsea yet, yourself? Yeah, I've seen them What do you think? See you on Sunday.

15:24We will see you on Sunday. Congratulations, Bukayo, on your goal and on the victory to make it two out of two. Well done, mate. Congratulations. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Have a good night. Did you like the way that determination he showed that you talked about, and maybe this is a change in him and a development in him, the determination to get into that goal-scoring position? But yes, for sure. And we talked about it and he's not going to share what he wants to do. and rightly so. But there is something that I will say, people always talk about partnership as centre-backs, partnership at front, partnership in the middle.

15:58But when you know how to play with your full-back, you see how he straight away mentioned Ben White and Calafuri and I'm not having a go again please at Mosquera or in Capier, but when those guys are playing sometimes and rolling in, we've seen Timber doing it also very well, rolling inside, they're not maybe as cute as Calafiore and Ben White can be because they are centre-backs right from the start and you can understand that. So developing also that partnership on the side is vital. And you saw it straight away, the level of understanding that they had when those guys are playing. This is what I mentioned and I wanted to know at the beginning of the show when we were in the green room, I was like, I prefer when Mikel plays with guys that understand what they need to do higher when they have to roll in.

16:44And you can see Bukayo was a bit more free and is a bit more free. in this type of situation. But I have to say, the amount of running that that team does, this is what I would like to say. People always talk about teams and whatnot, and the defence, but the amount of running that they do. Kai Havertz still running on the other side, trying to hold the ball. Like I said, that team doesn't have any passenger. That's for sure. There was a clip late on where Villa, not really a big chance, but looked at a bit of a dangerous situation. And every Arsenal player was back in the box. And if you'd have looked at it in isolation, you'd have thought they were defending a corner but it wasn't it had gone from one end of the pitch to the other and when I think about things that Arsenal do that are different to other teams in the league the two things that stand out for me of what they do with the full backs and we've just highlighted that with the goal but it is what you said to Mikhail Saka there when they lose the ball they don't just run back they get everybody behind the ball and it's like a block where you just see them you don't normally see top teams in the league do that and they're a big standout

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19:07Welcome back to the Sky Sports Premier League podcast. It's time to get more analysis of today's match and head back to the studio. In Mikel Arteta's 250th Premier League game, 151 wins on the clock. Here he is with Emma Saunders. Well, Mikel, a different type of victory tonight. How do you sum it up? I'm really happy. It's a massive win. It's a tough place to come. And then the three points, and I think we deserve it. I think we had a great squad performance, I would say, because when the 11 wasn't enough, the finishers came in and did a magnificent job to finish off the game and win it. And yeah, I know how tough it is to win here.

19:49Yeah, what made Aston Villa so difficult to break down? What was the key in the end? What they've done in the last four years. Every big team struggles against them because they are so good. They are really well coached. They are great players. They have a great crowd. They generate momentum. They are great in transition moments. The moment you allow them to run and lose the ball inside is a team that is really dangerous, but yeah, a lot of the things that I saw from my team. Yeah, we saw last season, you have trust in your players to find solutions in this game, but now with a championship title behind you, has that level of trust gone up a level this season?

20:25I always trust in my players. I think the level, I don't know, I think depends on the moment as well. Last year, we lost here in a really difficult way in the last kick of the game, and that was still in the tummy. You touched on it a little bit, but to have Bruno Gimeraes come in, Esri Konza, how pleased were you with the way that they helped see out, especially those final eight minutes of added time? Very good. Epps creates the action, that wins the game, and assists for Bukayo. We brought Bruno first with Mikel in midfield and they changed the dynamic of it. It was great. Esri as well, really composed, really calm with every decision that he made.

21:01And then Zoui when he came in, I think really happy with all of them. so yeah that's what we need With another big game next weekend against Chelsea does it feel like a significant win tonight for this early momentum that you have in this season? We're in the Premier League we are in the second game and it's like we have to win this game so we know that last year was the same we know the level we know how difficult it is for every team to end points in this league so we have to be really proud tonight I'm sure we'll be very pleased to get tomorrow out of the way with it being deadline day can you tell us is there going to be any more business ins and outs?

21:32I don't know I've been disconnected for a day because I don't want anything related to that. My focus has to be on the game. That's why we have the right people at the club to look after that. There are continued reports, particularly around Julian Alvarez. Are you expecting anything to happen there? I don't know. That's for the people upstairs. All right, appreciate your time. Thank you so much. That would be the cherry on the top of the cake, wouldn't it, if Julian Alvarez was to turn up the Emirates in the next 24 hours. I mean, only three games in, Tio. Here we are, Arsenal playing Chelsea on Sunday.

22:03does that feel as Mikel almost says a really big game early in the season yes it is because the two teams won their two games and so you want to see a bit of sort of a clash of style at the moment with the way Chelsea is going about how they play you can see Chelsea maybe being able to hit Arsenal on the break but if they do defend like they did defend and leaving that amount of space in midfield and on the side they will struggle against Arsenal but that remains to be seen best attack the best defence Well, they considered five. Are you talking about Arsenal? Oh, my bad. I was like, what? So they're both.

22:40But they have a good attack. Yeah, but then, yeah, I'm not too sure about that. I'm not too sure about that one yet. About how they play. I'm talking about when you talk about the big dogs at the top. Don't forget about what Man City can do also when they're on the ball. The jury is out. Oh, yeah. We'll see you on Sunday. Let's hear from Unai Emi. on another defeat, but a much improved Aston Villa performance, again with Emma. Well, Unai, it was a great fight, ended in a narrow defeat. What can you say about tonight's performance? We lost. We have lost one match. We compete well. It's the winner last year, and I think the favourite to win the trophy, the Premier League.

23:26and we are trying to rebuild the team but a lot of positive things. After the result, how we compete, how we were more or less competing defensively, competing as well progressively better with the ball. We didn't create clear chances but we didn't consider clear chances. It was so equal the match and some players, their debut, fantastic. I think Suzuki, Jackson, both well, very good work. I think the first step forward playing today, I think, is positive for the next matches. And some players, as well, last year, they were performing well and they played as well in the same way, in the same necessary step forward with them we must do.

24:22taking more responsibility to play. For example, Rose Barkley played a good match. Speaking about the result, of course, accepting this result, I think we could as well to have our chances to equal, to draw the match, but accepting it because we are in our rebuild with the players we are joining and after we are doing some changes. But this is the way for me and through my message for the supporters and the message through how we played for the players is in this way. I know the rebuilding of a team can be challenging, but after tonight's performance, is it something you enjoy trying to rejuvenate this Aston Villa team right now?

25:13To lose one match always is painful. But after feeling painful, we must try to get positive things. And this is the reason I am being optimistic. As well, after the information, analysis of the match we played for tomorrow with the players as well, how we can get better. There are 38 matches, we played two matches in the Premier League and we didn't have one point, we achieved points, but hopefully we can get better. With the match we played today, we are going to join another player for the next day as well. Goretzka, Tamiya Brandt, Garnaccio, Valle, of course the red card for Joao was a new last week, but hopefully it's something to learn for the next weeks.

26:17And recovery in Manzambi is going to be an important player. I think we can feel confidence after this result because I think the way how we want to build a team again, to rebuild a team is through compete like today. Yes, you did mention there and by Howard Bellis, we saw them in the stands. Can you confirm tomorrow they will officially be Aston Villa players? I was focused 100 % for the match. And I don't know if it's not official. I don't know more. But you expect there to be more business done tomorrow in the last 24 hours? No, no. I think now the squad we have now. I think it's, of course, how we planned and the players we wanted.