They could not buy a goal under previous boss Paul Lambert but,
under Tim Sherwood, attacking has become Villa's strength.
Surely they will not want to just sit deep
and wait for the Gunners to come at them, because I don't think they will hold
out for long if they do.
The more men they commit forward, the more
dangerous Villa look.
It is the same for Arsenal - we know Arsene
Wenger loves to play expansive attacking football and hopefully both teams will
go for it to give us an entertaining final.
Attack-wise, Arsenal look very strong. They also have a lot of
competition for places, which is something you cannot have enough of.
Theo Walcott was played up front and down
the middle in the Gunners' final Premier League game of the season against West
Brom and scored a hat-trick.
But I would still stick with Olivier Giroud
up front against Villa. He gives Arsenal a presence up front that none of their
other players can offer and hold the ball up much better than Walcott could
ever do.
I can see Walcott as playing as a central striker and sometimes
on his own, but he is more suitable for that role in away league games, when
Arsenal are seeing less of the ball.
They should have more possession than Villa on Saturday and, if
Wenger goes with Giroud, he can pay different people off him - including
Walcott.
I know Giroud gets criticised for missing
chances but all strikers do that. People also say he is not an Arsenal-type of
player but I don't think that is right.
He is exactly the sort of player they need,
because he gives them something different.
People say Villa striker Christian Benteke is such a threat
because he is so good in the air and can also score with his feet.
But the same can be said for Giroud. He
might have missed a few chances in the Champions
League against Monaco but,
in the Premier League, he has scored more goals i
The big Belgian striker is in good form and can obviously hurt
any team. Arsenal are right to fear him.
But he will need service on Saturday - without it, he cannot
hurt the Gunners.
Villa need to find some width and whip some crosses in for him
but my worry is whether they will get enough possession in those areas to do
that sort of damage.
Aston Villa - FA Cup final facts
|
Only George Ramsay
(six with Aston Villa between 1887 and 1920) has won the FA Cup as a manager
more times than Arsene Wenger.
|
Villa have played in
the FA Cup final 10 times, winning seven, making them the fourth-most
successful side in the competition (Tottenham have won eight finals).
|
Villa's last
appearance in a final was in 2000 when they lost 1-0 to Chelsea. Villa last
won the FA Cup in 1957.
|
Christian Benteke
has scored three goals in his last three appearances against Arsenal.
|
They have threats from elsewhere, though. One of the biggest
compliments I can pay Sherwood for the difference he has made since taking over
is that stopping Villa is no longer just a case of stopping Benteke.
Tom Cleverley, Jack Grealish and Fabian Delph all look to get
forward from midfield, and Gabriel Agbonlahor's fitness is also a big boost for
them.
Including Benteke, Villa have five players who are good enough
to win lots of games for them.
Whether they are good enough to beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final
will depend on how much of the ball they have.
What would FA Cup defence
mean for Arsenal?
Wenger has lifted the FA Cup five times - in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2014
Retaining the FA Cup would mean
more than just winning another trophy for Arsenal and their manager Arsene
Wenger.
It is a competition that Wenger has always
valued - he
won the 1998 FA Cup to complete the Double in his first full season in English
football.
Victory on Saturday would make him the
first post-war manager to win the FA Cup six times but it would also give his
side a real platform for more success to come.
The Gunners only finished third in the Premier League this
season but they are getting better - they have improved since last year and
Wenger has become more and more adventurous with his signings over the last 18
months or so.
If he is as ambitious again with the
players he brings in this summer, then they will be a lot closer to the title
next season.
WHO WILL WIN?
WHO WILL WIN?
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