AFTV News

Arsenal v Aston Villa preview By Oscar Maung Haley With Arsenal welcoming Aston Villa to the Emirates this week, we take a look at how the Friday night Premier League action could unfold. Emiliano Martinez returns to the Emirates A lot was made of Arsenal’s decision to sell Emiliano Martinez to Aston Villa after his stellar spell between the sticks at the back end of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign. Martinez has seen his stock rise tremendously over the last two years, with the Villa shot stopper now having nailed down the Argentina no.1 jersey full time. His heroics this summer saw him produce a string of impressive performances for Argentina, helping them to claim Copa America glory. Last season, he also helped Aston Villa to an impressive 3-0 away win at the Emirates. And Friday night will see Martinez return to the Emirates for the first time with fans in attendance following the COVID hit 2021/20 campaign. The 29-year-old has certainly been outspoken on his time in north L...

A year on, were Arsenal right to choose Bernd Leno over Emiliano Martinez? By Oscar Maung-Haley At the end of the 2019/2020 season, an injury to Bernd Leno against Brighton and Hove Albion thrust Emiliano Martinez into the spotlight. So severe was Leno’s injury, it ruled him out for the rest of the campaign. Martinez, who had only made six Premier League starts for the Gunners, was something of an unknown quantity at the highest level. During his time between the sticks, Martinez produced a number of stellar performances, even helping Arsenal achieve FA Cup glory with a win over rivals Chelsea. When the summer window opened, much was made about who would be Arsenal’s keeper for the new season. Despite Martinez's impressive performances, manager Mikel Arteta opted to stick with Leno. And after showing that he was of Premier League quality, Martinez signalled his intention to leave, joining Aston Villa for £20m. But, nearly a year on, were Arsenal right to let him go and stick with L...

                                    After another defeat to Aston Villa for Arsenal, has Mikel Arteta learned from his mistakes from earlier in the Premier League season? By Adam Le Roux This feels like Groundhog Day. Sat here ripping apart another Arsenal defeat to Aston Villa, where the Gunners didn’t look worthy of taking a point from Dean Smith’s side, let alone all three. Watching the match on Saturday felt just like watching the match on November 8, where Jack Grealish, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins toyed with Mikel Arteta’s side, like three older kids playing with their brothers at the park. Many Gooners would have gone into the weekend feeling confident of a reaction from their side after the horror-show against Wolves in midweek, but it wouldn’t have taken long for that hope to be dashed. As has so often been the case this season, Arsenal were manufacturers of their own downfall once agai...

From standing by Xhaka, to playing Aubameyang down the left, to Signing Mari & Cedric. We take a look at Mikel Arteta's biggest decisions and adjudge whether this is all 'Process or Poppycock'. By James Bayliss For many years, Arsenal fans endured managers who didn’t quite seem willing to make the big decisions most felt were needed at the club. Mikel Arteta though, does look like someone who’s trying to push a real culture change - but is he the man to do it? Arsene Wenger, for all his amazing attributes, didn’t seem the type to put his foot down, yet still often displayed an infuriating stubbornness at times with his on-field approach. Unai Emery was at first a breath of fresh air, switching formations and tactics with every passing game, though eventually his constant chopping and changing began to portray him as a clueless and desperate coach once results declined. But can we trust Mikel to lead a resurgence at the club with Chief Executive Vinai Venkatesham &...

Did Mikel Arteta make the right decision to keep Bernd Leno over Emi Martinez in the summer? By Adam Le Roux Decisions, decisions, decisions…. They’re tough enough at the best of times, but as a football manager, you can change your club’s fortunes in a split second with a yes or a no.   For Mikel Arteta, there’s been choices aplenty since he was appointed head coach nearly a year ago, but one that may play on his mind more than most is his choice of goalkeeper in the summer.  Emi Martinez had been at the club for just under a decade before a move to Aston Villa in the close-season, as the boss opted for Bernd Leno to stay as his number one choice between the sticks.  He may not have played all that much in his time at the Emirates, but last season saw the Argentinian prove himself to be more than capable of playing in the Premier League; standing in when his fellow shot stopper was out with a knee injury.   And that taste of top flight football made Emi hu...