After a bitter defeat in a midweek cup clash. Arsenal head north to face a mighty Newcastle with a Toon Army in strong voice and spirit. Game Week 11 is looking like an extremely tough affair for Arsenal, and certainly a tough opposition to attempt to bounce back from.
The Art of Analysis preview and prediction is here to see just how Mikel can leave Tyneside with that all important Win and 3 points!
The Lineup:
We need to start strong this game, not just strong but confident too. To truly have a bounce back against such a poor performance the squads mentality must be that of a team going into enemy territory for the kill.
This is the game were Mikel needs his Arsenal as wolves metaphor to really galvanise this squad once more. To achieve that we need our best players in each position as well as a physical element to deal with the attacking threat posed by Newcastle.
Starting with the back line, Raya is our first choice goalkeeper. The error from Ramsdale on Wednesday, palming the ball into his own net, simply unacceptable, yes he is a confidence based player, but his play gave us no confidence in him at all! The defence speaks for itself, Tomiyasu is needed to prevent the attacking threat from the wings that Newcastle pose. The CB pairing is our best and arguably the best in the league when they play together too. Ben White, simply put has no choice but to play well. He had one of his worst games in an Arsenal shirt on Wednesday and now is the time to redeem himself.
With no real alternative on the RB side of things, and Jurrien Timber yet to have a real timeline on his return to create some competition across either side of wing back. Is it time to consider someone for backup role in the January window?
As for the midfield it once again picks itself more or less; injuries and lack of availability continue to hamper Thomas Parteys career at Arsenal he know presents more of a question mark on his value to the squad as a result in my eyes.
Rice and Ødegaard are a given we know what they bring to the team and just how they operate. Rice pivots CDM to LCM when needed in attack and also enables defensive overlaps from the wing backs by dropping deep. Martin is a midfield maestro with an eye for goal.
The question is Kai. I think he once again starts for the physicality of the game to be able to bring midfield and attack into play and his off the ball presence. If Fabio Vieira had performed well in midweek he could have had a shout but a las he did not. Also in contention would have been ESR but his injury worries have once again set him back. Who else do we really have?
Again the frontline is no surprise Martinelli & Saka the best wingers in the club and arguably the top 5 wingers in the league. Saka is number 1 go debate with someone else on this. I would die on that hill.
Eddie is once again the question mark. After a stellar performance against Sheffield where everything went right, midweek vs West Ham everything went wrong! Trossard CF? Perhaps. But I feel he would be easily physically dominated and forced out of the game. We need Eddie to link up the play and hold the ball for short passes to either winger.
The Historical Stats:
According to the Opta supercomputer, Arsenal are slightly more likely to win Saturday’s late game against Newcastle United. The Gunners have a 39.5% chance of victory, compared to Newcastle’s 32.1%.
Arsenal hold the Premier League record for most clean sheets kept against a single opponent, with 30 against Newcastle.
Newcastle striker Callum Wilson is in excellent form this season, averaging a goal every 60 minutes. However, he has not scored against Arsenal in his last nine league games.
Arsenal have dominated Newcastle in the Premier League recently, winning 8 of their last 10 games against them (1 draw, 1 loss). Newcastle failed to score in 8 of those matches, including both of their league meetings last season.
Keys to Winning:
Saka and Martinelli are how we get a win here. Alongside Ødegaard who has to truly take his role as conductor of the midfield to a whole new level and enable our wingers time to show off their quick feet and ball control to get inside the box!
England international Bukayo Saka has made a bright start to the 2023-24 season, scoring five goals in 12 starts across all competitions. Facing Dan Burn, Saka could have plenty of success and is expected to score at St James’ Park. With the slower Burn against him I expect Saka (if he is not doubled up on) to get his quick feet moving and potentially earn a penalty too. Arsenal have rotated their penalty takers this term, but Saka is one of their most reliable options from the spot and has converted two penalties so far.
Conclusion:
This is going to be one hell of a tough game and a closely fought one at that. Newcastle fresh of a thrashing to Man United will be on a high. Whilst Mikel’s Arsenal are looking keenly for a chance to bounce back and redeem themselves. Arsenal are unbeaten in the Prem and I don’t see that statistic changing. However, I don’t see a win either. With lots of players needing to perform against a solid and compact Newcastle who are truly capable of causing problems on the counter.
Arsenal may control the game but look primed to be frustrated and caught out on the counter. For that reason, I think a draw could be on the cards. Given our needed for wins and our need for redemption from midweek, its not a great outcome, but certainly better than losing.
Predictions:
Scoreline: Newcastle 1 – Arsenal 1
POTM: Declan Rice