"It was a bit windy today" - Mikel Arteta gives behind reason behind Arsenal's struggles in front of goal after 1-0 Aston Villa loss

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has explained why his side couldn't find the back of the net in their 1-0 loss to Aston Villa on Saturday (December 9). The Spanish boss attributed his team's struggles to last night's weather.

The Gunners endured their second defeat of the season at Villa Park yesterday after John McGinn's seventh-minute strike that sealed all three points for Unai Emery's side.

The north London outfit dominated possession (62%) and were goalless despite a xG of 1.4, indicating their inability to convert in the final third. Arsenal had a total of 12 shots, only five of which were on target, and missed four big chances in the encounter (via FotMob).

When asked whether he needs to improve his side's lackluster finishing, Arteta said after the match (via Metro):

"I think it was a bit windy today. You see a lot of misplaced balls or not having the right touch or not having the right accuracy in certain passes. I don’t know. But for sure I have a responsibility [to improve their finishing], I have to take it, yeah."

He added on the missed opportunities in front of goal:

"Yeah we had so many big opportunities that we couldn’t finish when they were completely open to shoot. We had two or three open goals almost that we couldn’t manage to score. There’s not much more that we could have demanded from the players than what we got today."

The Arsenal boss concluded:

"We’re very disappointed because we didn’t get the result that we wanted."

The Gunners will next face PSV in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (December 12).

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on whether Aston Villa are title contenders

Aston Villa have been in exceptional form in the Premier League this season under Unai Emery. They are third in the league table, five points ahead of fourth-placed Manchester City, after 11 wins from their first 16 fixtures.

With their victory over second-placed Arsenal, Villa find themselves just one point behind the Gunners with title contention on the cards this campaign. Arteta believes Emery's men should certainly be considered challengers in the title race.

The Spanish boss said (per the club's official website):

"Anybody that can win a lot of games in a row will be in the hands of each of us to merit to win every single week to be up there, but certainly they are right now."

Meanwhile, the Gunners are a point behind league leaders Liverpool, who have re-entered the title race after an underwhelming fifth-place finish last term.