Improved, but not improving

The wait for the 2,000th League win continues as Villa fall to their third successive Premier League defeat, fourth in five this season, and fifth in six overall.

That though as ever doesn’t tell the full story.

Defensively, the first half was our best performance of the season.

Arguably the second half showed our best attacking performance of the season.

Small mercies and many will doubtless scoff in defeat but there is no doubt Villa were quicker, more dynamic and more adventurous than in recent weeks and months.

All things are relative however. It was still nowhere near good enough.

For those of you with the same obsessive recall of details as us we couldn’t help comparing the second half at the Emirates to the second half at St Mary’s last November.

Villa looked a transformed side in the final 45 minutes of Dean Smith’s reign, and whilst Villa’s performance in the first 45’ tonight couldn’t possibly be put in the same category as the debacle at Southampton ten months ago, there is no doubt there was a stirring in the second half.

Will history repeat itself and Gerrard be relieved of his duties after a strong(er) second 45’?

Don’t bet on it whilst Purslow is around, the same man it is said who couldn’t wait to pull the trigger on Deano.

(Relatively) better performance or not however, Steven Gerrard has now lost 50% of his games in charge of Villa.

That is officially the worst record ever by a Villa manager after 34 games as Gerrard takes his place in infamy alongside Tommy Cummings and Dick Taylor.

Neither of those reigns ended well.

It does though feel churlish to berate a man after an improved performance especially, whether consciously or not, he has listened to the fans and put out a team and display many were demanding (Dougie aside).

On the point of our mercurial Brazilian footballer (no not that one) there was a real sense as he ‘celebrated’ in front of us after his second goal direct from a corner in a week that this was his denouement.

We hope not, but our instincts tell us Douglas Luiz’s 116th appearance aged just 24 could be his last for Villa.

How apt, if it does indeed prove to be his last game, that it ended in typically mercurial fashion.

Other take outs from the game?

The Emirates crowd are awful, second only to Everton. Utterly ignorant of the rules of the game, graceless and petulant. What a shame they are now getting a side together they really don’t deserve.

Ezri Konsa seems a man transformed. Yes there were errors, if you are that way inclined you can pick faults of anyone, and although not fully there he looked far more like the player he once was. Growing in confidence, putting his body on the line, literally. He deserves credit.

Equally impressive was Boubacar Kamara in his sixth game at the age of 22 in a new league, a high pressure environment, playing fast paced football in a low on confidence team. He tailed off in the second half but what a player he is already proving to be.

As for Emiliano Martinez, he was having a great game until his misjudgment let Arsenal in on 30’, indeed for the next 10 minutes it was like seeing Peter Enckelman and Thomas Sorensen rolled into one. But like the class ‘keeper he is he regained composure and form even if he is not currently at the heights he once was.

The claim however that the second goal should have been saved is questionable indeed.

That said, Martinez was a very lucky boy to not be carded, red or yellow, for getting Jesus by the neck. Sheer frustration no doubt but as we've said before we simply cannot afford players to be absent such is the paucity of depth in the squad after Gerrard's vandalism.

For us Ollie Watkins was outstanding again, the sheer work he puts in is something to behold, if only we could play a formation that enables him to harness his quality.

On that point, although improved in the final 10 minutes, Leon Bailey still doesn’t convince. Certainly not to the level of his step dad's rhetoric.

After the paternal outburst last week Bailey needed to put in dynamic performances against both the Hammers and the Gunners and whilst there were glimpses after Villa fell behind to Martinelli’s goal it feels a long way to go before he becomes a go-to starter.

It was also ‘nice’ to see Gerrard give Emiliano Buendia a little longer before hooking him, not his best game but there is no doubt about his drive into and around the box. He still is a starter ahead of Coutinho but he needs to find a killer ball or shot or two to cement his place. That’s hardly likely to happen on Saturday but Leicester and Southampton need to be games he takes by the scruff of the neck.

Our finally comment on the game concerns Gerrard.

It’s not easy to feel sorry for him but he looked lost in the large seats of the Emirates dug out.

McAllister and Critchley looked bereft of ideas, feedback or even at times movement.

Whatever he says it is clear Gerrard knows it is a matter of when and not if NSWE call time on his reign.

All in though, 19th in the table, seriously in trouble, but at least there was the kernel of a more coherent performance there today.

And yes we are really trying to pull out the positives. Demob happy I guess.

That brings us round to the transfer window and the potential for further damage to be wreaked on the squad in Gerrard's final days.

We desperately have to hope that NSWE have locked Lange and Purslow in a room without phones.

To lose Anwar, Morgan, Freddie and Marvelous would be a huge blow. Although none are ever likely to be regular starters, their loss to the team for options, suspensions and injuries will be acute.

The potential loss of Douglas Luiz however will be catastrophic.

We really won’t be surprised to see it happen though.

Neither will we be surprised to see Barkley, Bednarek and other surplus to requirement players come in.

These really aren’t great times to be a Villa fan, that’s why small crumbs of comfort like a cross hitting the target feel like progress. As will no more departures, regardless of whether there are incomings or not.