What Mikel Arteta got WRONG In Arsenal's Defeat to Aston Villa

What Could the Arsenal Boss Have Changed during Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal

A 94th minute strike from Argentine midfielder Emiliano Buendia condemned Arsenal to their first defeat since the Gunners 1-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield on 31st August vs Aston Villa at Villa Park.

A first half strike from right-back Matty Cash was cancelled out by a equaliser from Leandro Trossard early in the second half, however following an end-to-end half the home side snatched the points with the last kick of the game.

Emiliano Buendia ended Arsenal's 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions in the 95th minute 😱 @AVFCOfficial pic.twitter.com/SueXI46DWt

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 6, 2025

It was a sucker punch for the Gunners and Mikel Arteta. Despite not being deserving of the entirety of the blame for the defeat, there are changes the Spaniard could have made throughout the day that could have changed the result.

Team Selection: Was the right striker picked?

The Arsenal boss opted to start with the same side that ended their 2-0 home victory over Brentford in midweek. With Jurrien Timber moving across to start at centre-back alongside Piero Hincapie in place of the injured Christian Mosquera.

Captain Martin Odegaard started consecutive Premier League games for just the second time this season, with Mikel Merino maintaining his place in the centre of attack. However, this is where a mistake may have been made.

The Spanish international has been in strong recent form for the Gunners, scoring in-back-to-back games with two great headers away at Chelsea and home to Brentford respectively. However, Merino clearly lacks dynamism and pace, and against an Aston Villa backline who was more than happy to start high up the pitch, Arsenal could have done with summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, fit again after returning from injury, to help stretch the Villa defence.

⚪️ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🔴

🛡️ Timber at centre-back
💫 Eze bringing the spark
🎯 Merino spearheads the attack

Time to give our all, Gunners 🫡

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 6, 2025

Arsenal clearly lacked spark in attack in the first half, with Eberechi Eze also struggling on the left side of the front three. Both he and Merino were substituted at half-time, with Gyokeres and Trossard replacing them. And whilst Arsenal may have gone on to lose the game, there is no doubt their performance levels rose in the second period, with Trossard equalising just seven minutes after the restart.

The correct substitutions?

Whilst the decision to bring on Trossard and Gyokeres at the break clearly had a positive impact, with the former quickly getting his side level and Arsenal finding creating chances easier to come by in the early periods of the second half, as the half went on Arsenal began to lose control of the action. With Villa coming close with a number of chances as Arsenal began to become more and more penned in as the clock ticked on.

In response, Arteta decided to take off Bukayo Saka and replace the England international with Noni Madueke. However, the summer signing failed to match the levels Saka showed during his time on the pitch. Saka may have been on a yellow card, but the 24 year-old was looking threatening and Madueke did not match his predecessor’s performance.

Furthermore, it was becoming clear as the second half went on that Arsenal were losing legs in the midfield areas and were getting overrun by their opponents in transition. Both Christian Norgaard and Ethan Nwaneri were options to enter fresh legs into the middle of the park. However, Arteta opted against that, and the tired midfield of Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard tired out towards the end.

Arteta got it totally wrong today. He needed to freshen up the midfield we were leggy for the last 15

— 🃏 (@KJftbl) December 6, 2025

Overall, it was a disappointing afternoon for Arsenal, and things could have turned out differently had small changes had been made, missing both Gabriel and William Saliba clearly had an impact, as Arsenal struggled defensively all throughout the match.

What’s Next for Arsenal?

Despite being their first defeat in 19 games, the manner of the way the game was lost at Villa Park will sting for the Gunners, but with Club Brugge and Wolves coming out in the following week, the chance to get back on track is there for Mikel Arteta’s team.