Arsenal suffered their first set back of the new Premier Reserve League season this afternoon, losing their unbeaten record in a 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa. Former Gunner Samir Carruthers did the damage with a goal and assist.
Neil Banfield was forced into a major reshuffle before kick off. Having lost Gavin Hoyte, Mark Randall and Benik Afobe to loan spells, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas also pulled out of the squad. However, Thomas Cruise was fit and started in a back four which included Havard Nordtveit and Sead Hajrovic.
Aston Villa boasted a strong side, including full internationals Moustapha Salifou, Eric Lichaj and Brad Guzan. First team players Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan and Nathan Delfouneso also started.
Shea
Nordtveit – Hajrovic – Miquel – Cruise
Ozyakup – Yennaris
Sunu – Aneke – Henderson
Murphy
Subs: Martinez (GK), Boateng, Angha, Rees, Deacon.
Arsenal kicked things off at a blustery London Colney, but were immediately pushed onto the back foot. Marc Albrighton won a collection of early corners, one of which was almost converted by American international Lichaj who only just flicked the ball wide.
Villa then began to dominate possession but they struggled to break down the holding midfield duo of Ozyakup and Yennaris. Instead, the visitors joy came from corners. Lowry should have opened the scoring when he drifted off Hajrovic and volleyed wide. It was a big chance.
On the half hour mark, Aston Villa finally got their game together. Carruthers’ well placed ball found Delfouneso in the box. He kept composed to glance beyond Shea for 1-0.
Aneke and Ozyakup both had shots from range in the closing stages of the half, but it was Villa who would take full control at the break. Albrighton showed super technique to find Carruthers, he did the rest with a neat header. 2-0 at half time.
Sunu snapped out of the traps in the second half and should have pulled one back early following a neat move. The Frenchman collected the ball and raced into the box, but Guzan was on hand to frustrate with another excellent save. Aneke also found Guzan in great form minutes later, again after a slick passing move.
Deacon, Angha and Boateng all came off the bench late on but Villa remained professional and managed to see out the game. The loss of the unbeaten run, but easier challenges await Banfield’s title chasing youngsters.
ggg
I assume JET is the star of this team in light of the headline ? where does Afobe come in the pecking order please ? Thanks
Afobe has only become a regular for the Reserves this season and he’s 2 years younger than JET, so it’s not really fair to compare them. They aren’t at the same stage of their development.
Afobe is considered to be a big talent, it’s not often we loan out a player at 17 years of age so that’s a very good sign.
Thanks for the info – I hope he is successful for our sake and for yours in the future. If we play our passing game rather than our hoof it up game I am sure he will do well. It’s a pity he has arrived whilst Gary Roberts is injured as to me he is out best at threading the ball to strikers to score and is our best playmaker when he is on form.
So what was Villas reasoning behind starting with three first team players? Surely they were’nt short of fitness having been involved in the last couple of matches… was it just a case of getting a bit of daylight between them and us… is the reserves league a big deal to them?
Yet again Villa teach Arsenal a lesson at this level and yet again we see very bitter, unsporting remarks. We can’t help it if some of our youngters have been fast tracked into the USA first team, we can’t help it if some of ’em need a bit of match time to prove they are worthy of a first team place…that’s what reserve team football is all about.
Your vastly overrated (by the London media)youngsters got owned. Yet again.
Full internationals Salifou (has played how many games in the last 3 years?) Lichaj (has 1 sub cap and has played how often?) Bannan is a sub player and Albrightin just started. Arsenal fans need to stop making excuses. Our two top stars in Gardner and Weimann were out and we have just as good of youth if not better.
That’s a shame, but we put out a very weak side – JET, Afobe, Lansbury, Eastmond, Randall and Hoyte all missing – against an Aston Villa team which has topped the Reserve League for three consecutive seasons. This was always going to be a difficult game.
The most important thing is that we keep producing first-team players.
why isnt martinez playing more?
Martinez is playing for the under 18s, playing well at that.
Shea seems to be a fairly good talent and is getting his playing time for the reserves, and rightly so.
If you can provide Afobe with service then you have a great prospect on your hands. He’s an out and out striker, very quick, good finisher, poacher.
He’s been played out wide recently but I would think that won’t suit him in League One. He’s probably the 3rd or 4th best prospect around the reserves at the moment.
Thanks for the comment – he will I would very much expect be played centrally as we are not short of wide men – it’s goals we need !
NO PROBLEM IT IS SAME AFTER ALL DONETSK WILL STRUGGLE WITH jet TONIGHT…
With Jet and Afobe out you would thing players like Aneke, Henderson and Ozyakup would have step up and showed what they are made of. Lets no use missing players as excuse, is Jet carrying the team, know we can see how talented the other players really are.
With so many players missing not a very strange result after all. Hope JET, Eastmond and Lansbury get to feature in Ukraine.
Not sure why Aston Villa fans are getting so worked up.
However you want to dress it up, Moustapha Salifou, Eric Lichaj and Brad Guzan are all internationals for their countries. Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan and Nathan Delfouneso are part of the first 25 players in the Villa squad.
The Reserves isn’t important for Arsenal, so we commited less resources and were comfortably beaten.
If you saw the text updates, I praised Villa, as did Gooners. Villa deserved to win. But it has to be noted that you had more experience.
Nobody is making excuses for Arsenal. Villa deserved to win. But moronic comments about bitterness are unreal.
It’s a compliment really, they must see us as a big scalp to become so animated. It must bother them to find out that circumstances forced us into putting out a weakened side, therefore devaluing their win.
Just like the 1st team…. We always come up short
Not a terrible result considering Villa are traditionally one of the best sides at this level and the players at this level we were missing.
Mannone
Coquelin Hoyte Bartley Evina
Lansbury Eastmond Randall
Watt JET Barazite
plus Afobe and Freeman, not a bad sde
Özyakup and Yennaris are quality but I think it will take a year oder two for them to shine
It’s not so surprising when team changes so much just out of the blue, there is space for new faces to step in and take responsibility but that won’t happen just over one night, that will take time for them to get in there, it’s a process and this game was just the starting point for it, you can’t be ready just like that, you need time to adjust and given a chance and that don’t mean just a one game but a longer spell when you can grow with what it calls for you to do and that’s development, you can’t be ready when you just born. There are space now to new prospects to take their places, lets give ’em chance!
And that is what it’s for, reserve games in Arsenal football club, not for winning the reserve league but to develope young players!
The reserve league seems very important for Villa. Why the hell would they play Albrighton in this game if not?
Tbf Villa also had players out, and dress it up all you like, their “internationals” are hardly Downing, Young and Agbonlahor.
Their academy is incredibly talented, as good as ours. And they thrashed United away, so they are a strong side.
Yep they had players out, but they replaced them with first team players. So not a valid point there at all. It would have been like if we replaced JET, Eastmond, Afobe and Lansbury with the likes of Denilson, Bendtner, Wilshere etc.
Macca- your a twat. Villa consistently play an older more Premiership experienced team v Arsenal ressies. Which means Villa are mostly playing against 17 and 18 y/olds. Fact Carruthers wouldnt get on the bench if hed stayed which he knew hence him leaving. Lets see what happens when the 1st team plays…….