MX23RW : Sunday, May 12 13:51:12| >> :120:9043:9043:
[monks data]
Aston Villa logo
Premier League | Gameweek 37
Jul 21, 2020 at 8.15pm UK
Villa Park
Arsenal logo

Aston Villa
1 - 0
Arsenal

Trezeguet (27')
Luiz (71'), Targett (87')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Torreira (35'), Lacazette (61'), Kolasinac (80'), Willock (90+1')

Granit Xhaka questions Arsenal mentality after Aston Villa defeat

Granit Xhaka questions Arsenal mentality after Aston Villa defeat
© Reuters
The Gunners will finish outside of the top six for the first time since 1995.

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has questioned the squad's mentality following Tuesday's 1-0 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa.

The result left Mikel Arteta's side needing to win the FA Cup against Chelsea next month to qualify for the Europa League.

Arsenal will finish outside the top six for the first time in 25 years and Xhaka knows they failed at Villa Park.

"In my opinion you can't come here and play like this. It's not good enough and you can't play with this mentality," he told the club's website.

"It was not enough to take something from (the game) and we knew if we won and then won the last game as well we could have got into the Europa League.

"But now we have to win the FA Cup and we have more pressure. But we will do everything to win the FA Cup now.

"I think it was Aston Villa, their fight, they put everything out in each half and in my opinion they deserved the three points."

Aston Villa v Arsenal – Premier League – Villa Park
Trezeguet (on ground) hit the winner to boost Villa's survival hopes (Peter Powell/NMC Pool/PA)

Trezeguet's winner lifted Villa out of the relegation zone ahead of Sunday's final-day trip to West Ham.

They are above Watford, who play Arsenal, on goal difference with Bournemouth also clinging on to slim hopes of survival.

Villa have claimed seven points from their last three games and boss Dean Smith urged his side to maintain their momentum.

"Our biggest win was probably Everton (on August 23), our first win in the Premier League. But this is the biggest win now because we needed it," he said.

Aston Villa v Arsenal – Premier League – Villa Park
Dean Smith feels his side have been much better defensively since lockdown (Rui Vieira/NMC Pool/PA)

"We've got to go and do the same sort of performance against West Ham on Sunday. It's a huge boost, that's for sure.

"We needed to get that win to catch Watford up, and now we have, we've got the season in our own hands. That's all you can ask for.

"We've been much better over the nine games (since lockdown), defensively.

"The players were really engaged in the video coaching sessions we did, and they came back wanting to be a better team defensively."

ID:407519: cacheID:407519:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7022:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Jack Grealish warms up for Aston Villa on July 9, 2020
Read Next:
Jack Grealish: 'Keeping Aston Villa up would mean everything'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City36267391335885
2Arsenal36265588286083
3Liverpool36239481384378
4Aston Villa36207973532067
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs361961171591263
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle361761379572257
7Chelsea361691173611257
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd35166135255-354
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham371410135971-1252
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton361212125458-448
11Bournemouth37139155365-1248
12Crystal Palace371210155258-646
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves37137175063-1346
14Fulham37128175159-844
15Everton37139153949-1040
16Brentford37109185461-739
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3789204766-1929
18Luton TownLuton3768235081-3126
RBurnley3759234076-3624
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd37372735101-6616


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!