Goal scoring duo Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil were the first to face the press after helping Arsenal beat Newcastle 2-1 at St James’ Park to record their third consecutive victory of the season.
A brilliant free-kick from the Swiss and a calm finish from the German helped the Gunners to a two-goal advantage in the second half and they managed to hold on to the three points despite a late scare when Ciaron Clark headed home in stoppage time.
Here’s what the midfield duo had to say…
On whether it was a good performance…
GX: “Not really. A difficult start, especially the first 20 minutes. After that, it was good, a good second half and an important 3 points.
On his free-kick…
GX: “Mesut [Ozil] said I can shoot, we try a lot in training and I’m happy to score.
On an important win…
GX: “We know it is an important week, four games at home now and we won two away more than last year so happy to win today.
On making his 200th Arsenal appearance…
MO: “Really, 200? I’m happy but most important we take the three points. Congratulations to the whole team, we played well. Newcastle were good, aggressive. We showed our passion and took the points.
On his relationship with Unai Emery…
MO: “I am very happy to play for Arsenal and especially for the new coach. He knows what he wants and the team accepts that, we have a good relationship. We score and we are happy, even the players that don’t play, we are all team.”
Good to hear Xhaka not happy with the performance. I’m happy with his especially the thunderous free kick .
Also glad to see Mesut coming out publicly to clear the air with Emery
Agree , we don’t need no more drama as we climb back and rebuild.
This is the Xhaka that we want to see more of. Good to see that no-one seems to be getting complacent.
I think the thing I’m proudest of is how everyone looks up to Özil in respect.. I like how Granit states that Mesut let him take this, and what a beast of a shot that was COYG
Who wouldn’t respect and admire a guy with black magic in his left foot and the grace with which he brings the ball under his spell, most footballers can only wish to have half his ability.. Torriera sumed it up nicely in his first interview “i chose no11 so i could sit next to Mesut”.
Not the greatest of performances.
But a good second half.
And add that to some good “stuff” happening in the earlier game I’ll quote Ice-Cube and say
“today was a good day”
The next 10 fixtures give us a great opportunity to kick on in 3 competitions before a crunch game game against the Scousers. I’d like to use those games to get the defence far more solid and see some clean sheets at last. I think some better teams than we’ve faced of late would have taken the volume of chances handed to them.
I think sokratis was ok today, looks like he is finding his rythm bit by bit, game by game. But I can see us concede 1 goal a game for a while longer, which isnt a catastrophy as long as we continue our very positive improved presence and penetration in final third. A very different leathalness in that respect compared to last few years.
Nice to see how bloody quick Sokratis can be when he hared back to cover for Mustafi’s slip, making up a good five yards on his opponent to get to the ball.
It lopls like we have that extra gear back, to raise our game when needed. We will need it, we are not impossible to score against. Still, there is freshness and new inspiration in how we play and act that likely got yet alittle more vivid after a 3rd win on the trot.
Well, they are getting better at this new way of playing for starters, which for me is a plus, there is also obviously a very good team spirit, (even the players on the bench were not sulking and looked eager to come on and help the team)which i like, i also like the fact that post match, they are not getting carried away with the win at all…obviously, still plenty of work to be done before they can get back to anything near their best and i like the fact that the squad seem to acknowledge that, instead of preening… Read more »
I think every Arsenal fan would love for Mesut to kick on and have a stormer for us this season. Here’s hoping!
This game showed that combinations are more important than individual abilities. Matt do had a good game today and didn’t seem to have done much to be substituted, but he does not complement Xhaka as well as Torreira does. The sudden rise in tempo and our ability to regain possession in advanced areas owed a lot to our midfield combination. Xhaka is the key to us succeeding, with Torreira alongside him, Mesut does not have to start deep in our half to transition the ball. Xhaka is our Xabi Alonso, not a defensive midfielder, but does as much as he… Read more »
Matt do, not Matt do.
Sorry, auto correct is messing up. Matteo, not Matt do.
The difference in the second half was due to a few tactical change rather personel change. We switched from a 4-1-4-1 to a 4-1-3-2. Xhaka playing deeper and Toreira higher up than Matteo. Auba was playing further up moreblike a second striker than a left midfielder. The goal that was slightly against the run of play changed everything. Newcastle players knew that they had list the game. Their head drops and their energy level disappeared. The bad thing is that from a tactical perspective, Emery got schooled by Benitez. If they had decent strikers they would have been ahead at… Read more »
Ramsey asked to be taken off, but hey don’t let that stop your agenda
He is right though, which ironically is praise for Ramsey…
When he knew he was done he asked to be replaced, might be a selfish motive but it had positive consequences on the team
???..well played!
I am watching Real Madrid playing Toni Kroos the same way we used Xhaka under Arsene, without Casemiro they are being overrun in midfield. If you think Xhaka as a defensive midfielder is bad defensively, Toni Kroos is making him look like Gilberto Silva.
Good. My opinion of Kroos is, shall we say, not so good at this point in time so I’ll take that schadenfreude happily.
A great player and, apparently, a miserable human being. In many ways, his public statements about his teammates, both Ozil and Sane, are more disturbing than the behavior of certified assholes like John Terry.