Arteta has to remove painful thorn from Arsenal's side for title push

It may be more than six years since Unai Emery left Arsenal but it's hard to escape the feeling that the Spaniard still has an inexorable hold over his former club.

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Ever since Aston Villa ended a four-match losing streak against them with a 1-0 home win in December 2023, Emery has proved to be a thorn in Mikel Arteta's side.

Villa's 2-0 victory at the Emirates a few months later ultimately cost Arsenal the title as a relentless Manchester City took advantage by winning their last eight matches.

Arsenal had an impressive 2-0 triumph in Birmingham at the start of last season, but Villa's comeback from two goals down to draw 2-2 in January of this year was symptomatic of Arsenal's failure to chase down Liverpool in the title race that never was.

So it will have come as no surprise to Arteta and the Arsenal supporters that it is Emery who has threatened to knock them off course again. The Spaniard, who was given only 18 months at the helm after being given the unenviable task of stepping into Arsène Wenger's shoes in 2018, has always insisted that revenge is never on his mind when he comes face to face with his former employers. But as Villa proved in their last-ditch 2-1 victory over Arsenal a few weeks ago, they are now a formidable obstacle that will take some stopping.