Arsenal were incredible as they beat Newcastle 2-0 on their own turf. Many things helped the Gunners do something other PL teams haven’t been able to do this season (except Liverpool), but one may ask, “What decisions helped the Gunners do it?”
Sticking with Jorginho
After resting Thomas Partey last time out against Chelsea, his starting against a physical Newcastle was obvious. But that wasn’t the case. Arteta boldly started Jorginho, benching Partey once again. Seeing the Italian boss the midfield, I bet many Gooners were asking themselves, “Why hasn’t this guy been starting?” Many who watched the game noted that the former Blue was deservedly the man of the match. Let’s not forget that before opting to bench Partey, Arsenal had gone four games without a win. In those games, one observation was that Partey wasn’t playing as well as we know he can. Jorginho has now started in two, and those two have been wins.
Managing the game
Arsenal have been great in recent weeks but have struggled to maintain momentum. Like the Liverpool and West Ham games, the Gunners had everything in them to take commanding leads but ended up blowing these chances. Against Newcastle, one of the best teams in the PL at the moment, Arsenal managed to contain everything thrown at them. The Magpies were off to a bright start, but Arteta’s boys were alert; they actually got a crucial goal in the 14th minute that gave them every leverage to hold on to that game. In the second half, Howe’s boys tried to force Arsenal into errors to get something out of the game but didn’t succeed; instead, they were the ones to make an error, with Schar scoring an own goal after brilliant pressure from Martinelli. With the energy levels Newcastle play at, it was nice to see Arsenal contain them.
Getting the Subs Right
While Arsenal were not winning a few weeks ago, many questioned Arteta’s substitutions. The team just failed to maintain momentum throughout the game. Some argued he was not making the subs at the right moment, thus not impacting the game, or that he was subbing off the wrong players and keeping those who weren’t at their best, like Saka and Partey, in games they were looking out of sorts). Against Newcastle, we have to agree that he got his substitutions right. The Tierney-Zinchenko 60th-minute substitution was a brilliant tactical switch. Zinchenko was good at building going forward, but defensively he had question marks. Tierney’s introduction cautioned Arsenal defensively for the last 30 minutes. Fighting the temptation of not introducing Trossard and Partey earlier was also justified; many would have been keen to see them enter the fray in the 60th minute.
Anyway what else did Arsenal get right to beat this improved Newcastle side?
Sam P
Mikel Arteta buzzing after Newcastle United 0-2 Arsenal – This game was all about pride..
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