Matt Maher: Mini crisis? Unai Emery is in good company

A run of three defeats in seven days for Villa was described to me by one supporter, typically toward the more considered end of the scale when it comes to observations on all things AVFC, as the first “mini-crisis” of the Spaniard’s two-year reign.

If this is a crisis, then pity poor Pep Guardiola, who managed three consecutive defeats in one day fewer than Emery.

Even that pales in comparison to Mikel Arteta, who in barely a fortnight has gone from Arsenal’s saviour to having his future questioned in some quarters after taking just one point from nine in the last three Premier League matches.

Last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle prompted one national newspaper to question whether the Gunners’ title hopes were already up in smoke. In November, with them sitting seven points off the top with 84 still to play for.

It’s hyperbolic nonsense, of course. Granted, it has not been the best couple of weeks for Arsenal and yes, there are questions to answer about their recruitment considering how hard they seem to have been hit by the loss of Martin Odegaard to injury. But are we really going to write-off a team who won 16 of their last 18 matches last season?

Is anyone really that worried about City, the elephant of those 115 charges in the room notwithstanding, considering the ability of Guardiola’s team to finish every campaign like a steamroller, to the extent the exertions of the Gunners - ridiculous by any normal standards - are rendered futile?

City and their dominance has changed perspectives. In most other eras Arteta would already have won the Premier League title with the kind of run his team put together at the end of last season. The margins for error have never been so small or patience so thin. 

Chatting to an Arsenal fan on the short trek across London from the Eurostar to the train home on Thursday night hammered the point home.

“Mikel’s taken us back to where we never thought we would be a couple of years ago…but if we don’t win the league this season, he’s got to go,” he said. It really is that cut-throat.

Emery is now working with significantly increased expectations at Villa but his team have nowhere near the track record for consistent success of City or even Arsenal.

For all the frustration over the manner of Wednesday’s defeat at Club Brugge, perspective should come from the fact we are talking about their first defeat in the Champions League. Imagine saying that a year ago? Even if Villa are beaten at Liverpool tonight they will finish the weekend no worse than three points outside the top four. 

It’s a simplistic way of looking at it, of course. There are valid concerns to be raised about performances in the second half of last weekend’s defeat at Tottenham and the entire 90 minutes in Belgium. Emery stalked out of the Jan Breydel Stadium perhaps the angriest he has been as Villa boss. As one Villa supporter travelling back from Belgium on Thursday remarked: “Now he’s got to earn his money.”

In that regard it might help this has been perhaps the most unpredictable start to a Premier League in years. The claim English football’s top tier is more competitive than any other rarely stands up to scrutiny but this is one year you could make the argument, with Liverpool the only team who can claim not to have suffered any kind of blip.

They and City are the only teams who have passed the 20-point mark 10 matches into the campaign. This time last season there were five teams who had managed it and a five-point gap between fifth-placed Villa and Newcastle, down in sixth.

Heading into this weekend, just three points separate Chelsea in fourth with the Magpies in 11th. The gap between those same two positions at this stage last season was 11 points. As Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou observed after his team beat Villa last weekend, it’s a “strange” looking table. Granted, last season’s top six are in the top-seven but few would have predicted Nottingham Forest to be third, or for the top half to be so congested.

Perhaps normal service will be resumed as the usual suspects start to find some rhythm. Or just maybe we are set for the most exciting battle for Europe in years.   

Tottenham’s win over Villa, which followed a Carabao Cup victory over Man City, appeared to pull the Australian out of his own “mini-crisis” after a start to the campaign where his own team looked decidedly mid-table. Thursday’s Europa League defeat to Galatasaray halted the momentum. Lose at home to Ipswich tomorrow and he will be right back under scrutiny.

This time last year it was Spurs who were top of the table, unbeaten and having dropped only four points, touted as title contenders. They finished fifth, of course, 25 points off behind champions City and not even making the Champions League. 

Last Sunday, Postecoglou pondered whether player fatigue might be contributing to teams struggling to find any consistent form. He may have a point there. With the busy international summer there are times when this season feels a continuation of the last one.

Whatever the reason, this particular Premier League season is currently among the most difficult to predict and that is no bad thing.