Arsenal must beat Aston Villa after Guardiola admits “They were the better team” in City setback

 Arsenal must beat Aston Villa after Guardiola admits “They were the better team” in City setback

“That is the reason why they are up there, playing good football, and we could not do it. It’s my duty, my job to find the way to come back.

Guardiola rarely admits that his team was second-best and that things did not go his way. He didn’t say that when Arsenal beat him 1-0 in the league not long ago, and he also didn’t say it when his club drew 1-1 with Liverpool. However, he admitted that Villa were the better team on Wednesday night, describing them as a well-organized team whose game is fast.

“I give credit to Aston Villa, first of all. They do it. The first half, we struggled to follow what we spoke [about].

“[We said] something at halftime, [and] it was much better; the team had another dynamic, but we didn’t find the players to make the assist, the cross, the pass.

Arsenal now has a point to prove; they must demonstrate that they can function without Arteta on the touchline (he’s banned for that game), that their good run this season, only losing once over the last 15 league games, is a reflection of how good they are, and that losing to Newcastle was simply bad luck (and officials!).

A win versus Villa will plainly demonstrate Arsenal’s desire for the title and what they are ready to do to achieve it after disappointingly missing out on it last season.