The Gunners are also preparing for the next Christmas fixture, which will be a big test for Arsenal; Arsenal have performed well in this difficult time over the past two seasons, withstanding the test of a dense schedule and basically establishing an advantage in the league. However, there have been several instances of the Devil's crash in Arsenal's history, and the Gunners know far more about the importance of this period than any other team.

A collapse in this period would mean that Arsenal are likely to be knocked out of the title race, and to win the league title, they will have to have enough good results in the devil's schedule to be eligible for a frantic sprint in the second half of the season. Arsenal has a bloody lesson to this devil's schedule, although Arsenal has encountered a lot of difficulties this season, but at this moment, the Gunners will definitely meet this terrifying devil's schedule in the best form.

Although Arsenal's current lead in the standings is only one game, although the Gunners are not safe now, Arsenal is on the top of the league after all, and they will have full confidence and confidence at this time. Especially after struggling to catch up with 16 rounds to reach the top of the table, it also makes the Arsenal players cherish the results even more, because it is a result achieved by hard work.

Arsenal have been in good form over the past two seasons, even in the league last season when they built a huge lead early in the table, albeit on multiple fronts. But the huge lead gave Arsenal every chance of making some mistakes in the league. They didn't need to be nervous at all. Because the initiative is entirely in their hands. Last season Arsenal didn't have a lot of pressure in the league at all, so they were very calm at that time.

However, the competition in the league this season is quite fierce, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea struggling to solve the table, and if there is any compromise at this time, it may be widened. The Gunners managed to establish some small advantages in the standings, and they naturally couldn't give up the initiative at this time. This period is important for Arsenal because they know that only by withstanding the pressure of this period will their road to the title be smoother.

In fact, for Arsenal, it is not just about trying to withstand the pressure. It's also because it's a good time to open the gap; Once Arsenal can achieve a good record at this time, they can settle well in the table and most importantly there will definitely be some teams falling behind at this time, which is a golden opportunity for Arsenal to try to establish an advantage at this time in a competitive season and they need to get rid of some of their rivals. While the fierce battle in the standings will excite the fans and the media, it will be a huge pressure for the players.

While Arsenal are ambitious and hope to move further in the table, they hope to sprint harder after reaching the top; However, the shortcomings of Arsenal's squad began to erupt at this time, and serious injury concerns seem to affect Arsenal's competitiveness during this period to a large extent.

The four wing-backs of Sagna, Carl Jenkinson, Gibbs and Andre Santos are all recovering from injuries. This also leaves a big hole in the selection of Arsenal's full-backs, who simply have no available players at this time. The most important thing is that Jolu, who is chasing ducks on the shelves, is also a little overwhelmed in such a dense schedule. What is even more frustrating for Wenger now is that Djoroux has been confirmed to be out for three weeks due to a groin injury.

As it stands, neither the Spanish teenager Miquel nor the French veteran Squeerage, who has returned from injury, is not Mr. Reassuring, Miqueir's inexperienced play is chaotic, Squeiraci has not been able to play at the level of a former France international since he came to Arsenal, and the long-term La Liga defender does not seem to be adapting to the rhythm of the Premier League. Arsenal are now in serious trouble, and the already unreassuring defence is now full of holes, which is likely to affect Arsenal's performance during this period, and the Gunners are likely to lose the initiative in the table due to a serious understaffing at the back.

The reshuffling of the defence has put Arsenal in a big way, and at this moment the Gunners are no longer available at full-backs, and it is difficult to accept the fact that no matter who is injured. Everyone can realise how important defending is, and Djorou's injury has created a whole new problem for Arsenal that cannot be solved at this stage. With so many injured at the back, it is not very reliable to find someone to help internally, and there is only one option in front of Wenger - reinforcements.

It's a pity that the winter transfer window has not yet opened, and Arsenal still needs to wait if they want to bring in reinforcements to make up for the shortcomings in the backline; In the meantime, Arsenal will go to Villa Park to challenge Aston Villa, the scary Christmas devil schedule will not give Arsenal players any time to rest, they need to withstand the impact of injuries and physical fatigue at this time, they need to work hard to maintain the lead in the standings.

With no one available at the back, 19-year-old Mikel was able to make his Premier League debut for the first time, and Arsenal's current squad looks a little shabby, at least at the back; The key full-backs are two youngsters under the age of 20, and Arsenal are the reigning champions of the league and Champions League, and their backline is a bit shabby and deficient even compared to the average would-be giant.

In fact, in addition to the defensive line-up, your starting line-up is basically unchanged, the Gunners are also full of confidence, they believe that the winner of the game will definitely be them, the Gunners are eager to play better in the league, they are eager to win the game at Villa Park and continue to move forward in the standings.

In the past thirteen seasons, Arsenal have not lost to Aston Villa in Villa Park. This also gives more confidence and confidence to the Arsenal players, who are now performing better and better, and they are full of competitiveness. So there's no reason for them to lose at this time because they're the best team right now and Arsenal are very competitive right now.

Villa threatened Arsenal for the first time in the fifth minute, and Villa's two strikers played a beautiful combination; A tactical corner from the right was crossed by N'Zogbia and Abonlahor headed in the box between Vermaelen and Mertesacker, but Szczesny reacted quickly to save the close-range shot. In the ninth minute, N'Zogbia knocked back on the left baseline and Szczesny confiscated the ball at the feet of the attacking player who followed up. A minute later, N'Zogbia was in the same position to deliver another shot and Abonlaho went down wide of the ground after Vermaelen was close to him.

Arsenal's wings seem to be blown up, and the young players are still a little lacking in experience and ability, which makes it really difficult for Arsenal to win the game, but fortunately, the opponent in this game is Villa, if it is a mature team like Manchester United or Chelsea, Arsenal is likely to pay a huge price for their lack of defense, which is also a blessing in misfortune for Arsenal.

Although it looked like the Villa team was better at the beginning of the game, the Arsenal players did not panic, Villa only played lively in attack, and they did threaten the Arsenal goal, but the Gunners were more confident that they could win the game, and they believed that the Villa team did not have such a good ability to take chances; And for Arsenal, as long as they are given a chance, it is really not difficult for them to score.

In the seventeenth minute of the game, Arteta threw a throw-in from the left side, and the Villa midfielder, who was not tightly marked, was directly wiped by Xiao Qing's turn; There was also a boo at Villa Park, and Clarke was sentenced to death for an obvious pull foul behind him, but the fans didn't think so at all, they only knew that the current Villa team basically lost the chance to win the game.

Xiao Qing stood in front of the penalty spot and was very relaxed, the referee blew the whistle, Xiao Qing took the penalty kick overnight, Villa goalkeeper Guzan saved in the wrong direction, he could only watch Xiao Qing celebrate the goal in his home stadium with annoyance, Arsenal led 1-0 away, and this game was more confident for the victory of this game. Xiao Qing's name will go down in history, because his goal is the 20,000th goal in the history of the Premier League!

Xiao Qing's goal helped Arsenal gain a lot of initiative, and Arsenal's players basically locked up the victory in one fell swoop when their morale was high; After the restart, Arsenal had another good chance; Arteta picked up a pass near the middle circle, and Xiao Qing, who quickly stepped forward, basically formed a single knife; Facing the attacking goalkeeper Xiao Qing tried to pick up an empty goal, the ball was blocked by Gu Zan with his head, but fortunately, the outflanking Van Persie made up the empty goal.

Arsenal scored two goals in three minutes, and the game looked completely out of suspense, and Arsenal should be able to win the game comfortably. But Arsenal's defensive deficiencies have also come to light and they have given Villa some hope.

At the start of the second half, the Villa captain's pass was attacked, Vermaelen's header from the right was not far away, and the midfielding Villa player Albrighton picked the ball past Mertesacker, and in the box faced Szczesny and calmly pushed the ball into the far corner of the goal, and Villa pulled a goal back.

Although Arsenal had the last laugh, they have to admit that Arsenal did expose some shortcomings in this game, and they need to be more careful now. (To be continued......)