A first half Alexander Isak header saw Newcastle condemn Arsenal to a 1-0 defeat and a third consecutive Premier League game without a win on Saturday lunchtime.
Isak rose to nod home an inch-perfect Anthony Gordon cross after just 14 minutes, leaving the Gunners with a hill to climb in the north-east and a comeback never looked on, with Mikel Arteta’s side failing to register a single shot on target in the second half. The defeat
Here’s what the managers, the players, the pundits and the stats had to say …
Mikel Arteta on the failure to create chances …
When you have to face this team, from the moment they go ahead you’re going to have to play a different game. You have to adapt to that, we didn’t well enough, we didn’t find enough answers to the questions and situations [that] you have to resolve better.
Source: TNT Sports
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Eddie Howe on Newcastle’s approach …
Maybe a slightly different game to the one we expected it to be but I think, once we scored, I thought Arsenal played well and we were just content to defend well and I think we had to defend well, they’ve got threats all over the pitch, so I’m really pleased about the defensive performance.
Source: TNT Sports
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Arsenal won just 43% of their duels against Newcastle. It’s the fourth time this season they’ve won under 45% of their duels in a league game, something that happened only five times across the entirety of last season. #NEWARS pic.twitter.com/NXK2FNldXb
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 2, 2024
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Martin Keown on Martin Odegaard …
He can’t come back quick enough. I’m told he’ll be back for Wednesday.
Source: TNT Sports
Mikel Arteta on inconsistency …
The level of consistency we demand of ourselves to be more of a threat, we didn’t realise today. We needed more.
Credit to them and what they do, how they do it, but us, with the ball especially, we were in consistent in certain actions, we didn’t threaten the goal enough, we didn’t have enough purpose in certain areas.
Source: BBC Match of the Day
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Newcastle 1 : 0 Arsenal
▪ xG: 0.6 – 0.67
▪ xThreat: 0.86 – 2.07
▪ Possession: 36.7% – 63.3%
▪ Field Tilt: 29.6% – 70.4%
▪ Def Action Height: 42.9 – 53.0#msbot_eng #epl pic.twitter.com/vLzLe96vzC— markstats bot (@markstatsbot) November 2, 2024
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William Saliba on the mood …
We are all a bit sad because we wanted to win today. Unfortunately we didn’t and we didn’t play the game we wanted to play. We deserved to lose today I think. I think we didn’t play how we wanted to play and they were good as well. It’s OK, we are focused on the next week and it is not finished.
Source: ESPN
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Mikel Arteta on the title race …
After eight, nine or 10 games last year we didn’t [talk about it] and we won’t talk about it now. It’s about how you react to that. We’re not going to find the right words or answers to describe how we feel. We have to put it on that field on Wednesday night against Inter.
It’s not about the hope of winning the title, it’s about being our best selves every single week. Today we weren’t our best version.
Source: football.london
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Arsenal failed to register a shot on target in the second half against Newcastle.
It’s the first time that’s happened in a Premier League game since 31 December 2023 vs Fulham #NEWARS pic.twitter.com/XrU8d4IHvZ
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 2, 2024
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Ian Wright on the blunt attack …
It was a very poor performance from the team that are supposedly title contenders but we pass the ball very slowly. There’s no energy in the team. It’s very predictable. Yes, we are missing Odegaard, our chief creator. But for us to not be able to find a solution to that. Again, you look at the Bournemouth game, one shot on target, this game, one shot on target.
Source: Premier League
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Eddie Howe on keeping Arsenal out …
It was 95 minutes of concentration and consistency in our attitude. We managed and controlled some very good players pretty well today.
Source: BBC Match of the Day
Arsenal’s second half passes vs. Newcastle United. 🫠
📊 @footballontnt pic.twitter.com/Z73ixDpHIE
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) November 2, 2024
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Saliba on what’s next …
Next week we have two big games to come back with the win. I think we will do it if we give everything. [Inter is] a big game, if we win we have the confidence back and we have to do it. We all want to play big games like these.
Source: Arsenal
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Arteta on missing Odegaard …
We don’t have him. You know, we can discuss all day long that at the moment we don’t have him, we haven’t had him for the last 4-6 weeks and we don’t have him yet, but we have many other answers which have been very effective. Today, we need to look at ourselves, congratulate Newcastle and move on.
Source: Arsenal
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There were eight bookings in the match. Joelinton who was penalised the most of any player in the game (4 fouls) was not shown a card. https://t.co/7rw6mnWbwb
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) November 2, 2024
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Arteta on finding a response …
It’s time to do it on the pitch. We can say whatever we want, probably we aren’t going to find the right words today because after losing a game you are hurt, but we are going to have to show it on the pitch on Wednesday night.
Source: TNT Sports
First time ever i’m looking forward to the interlull… something /some things need a reset
Let’s go to Dubai I guess
So poor today, we can’t be that reliant on one, rather spectacular playmaker.
I just wonder if there are better options out there than Martinelli, Jesus and Trossard
Raheem!!
Oh, has he scored?
I must have missed that!
a couple were playing for the opposition today. I saw another beat City. There were always better options. We just decided we didn’t want to push the boat out again – or maybe arteta did by want to upset the players he loves.
The 43% duels won stat convinces me even further that this is more about fatigue than tactics or creativity (though those things played a part). We still had Rice, Merino, Martinelli, Gabriel, Partey, Saliba, Havertz and Timber on the pitch, White and Jesus for some of the time. All of them duel monsters, and yet we won less than 45% of our duels today. That’s just tired legs and tired brains.
We miss the play making for sure but he’s also the best strategic leader we have also. We don’t have the fluidity in when and where to press & when to change the tempo – which today was apparently never.
We have an identikit midfield who prefer the keep ball game, going crab style. Even that was negated today by poor passing to players already marked.
To have one shot on target two games running when we’re behind is shocking. Predictable in wing play, looking to cut back from goal line and free kicks looking for back post. Too easy to negate by alert managers watching videos.
Does the positive of Man City’s defeat overcome the negative of our own defeat in you?
Slightly, tough i’m much more worried about the “Media’s Darling” than C115tey this year
I’m not too worried about Liverpool going all the way. Their toughest tests are all still ahead of them, and teams will figure out Slot. Everyone gets figured out in this league. That, plus they will have injuries at some point too. They will be up there but this run they are on will not continue for too much longer. I think they will be comfortably 3rd.
Well, their supposedly toughest test (the Emirates) ended up with a draw…
I’m probably pessimistic, though stranger things would have happened than us just being pipped by ‘pool at the end of a season where C115tey lost their shit
With the absences we had they would’ve felt like it was a great time to play us. They only won becuase we had to play Myles and Kiwior in the last 15 minutes.
Excuse me, did I say they won? They only equalized because we had an emergency back line that will never be seen again most likely.
Indeed. Arteta has been figured out. And the worse is to come once they neutralize saka. (Already partly done)
It helps but doesn’t overcome.
I guess if Brighton did not crumble I would have been okay tho
Me too!!
After this many games, to be behind Nottingham Forest in the table, you have to classify that as failure and a poor start to the season. I know it’s been a tough schedule and we’ve had some injuries, and been victims of harsh refereeing, but today we looked completely lacklustre and nothing like title challengers. Or even top 4 material.
We lost to Newcastle last year and ended up 2 points from winning the title. Let’s see where we are after Christmas. We can all lose our minds then 🙂
NO, IT DOES NOT!
Yeah, really drab performance.. 🙁
Ødegaards absence, amongst a few others, has proved very costly. We have not been able to cope with it. I fully understand that players want to represent their countries in the world cup and euros. But playing glorified friendlies when you’re not fully fit… might regret this come the end of the season.
More than Odegaard’s absence is playing people out of position.
Ok guys. I took a deep breath. It’s going to be ok. The story of this game is that they scored and were awesome at sitting on the lead. Plaudits! A lot of teams will lose at that ground this season. They have a few top players and Howe coached a fantastic block. They also sold out to stop Saka with two players helping out Hall on the flank. We didn’t do a lot wrong but they managed to score a good goal from very little, and then they clamped down superbly. Some Arsenal observations: — New partnership in the… Read more »
Agreed!
Although I believe Rice/Merino/Ødegaard will work great.
Ya, I bet Mikel can’t wait to go back to his normal formation.
Dreading the first bullet point. Still think it’s too early to judge them (since the intended midfield trio never played together and the personnel around them keeps on changing as well), but there seems to be too little flair among them.
Worried that their ‘backup’ (Partey) seems as our best CM this season.
It would look better at neutral or winning game state, plus it’s early doors for Merino still, both for being back in this league and with his new teammates, and with Arteta’s systems. It’ll improve.
And he’s used to playing alongside Odegaard at Real Sociedad.
By the way, I don’t buy into the „we have no creativity without Odegaard” narrative. This is a team which was blowing the opponents out of the water just half a year ago, which was down to much more to Martin alone.
Yes, he knits together a lot, but maybe more importantly (what you mention often) is that he leads the press. It seems to me we don’t force as many high turnovers without him, but I don’t have data to back it up.
I totally agree. Martin’s absence is overblown.
I live in hope….
Good analysis though 👍
Really enjoy your analysis, Doc. Not just today, but generally. An eternal optimist like myself!
I’d agree on the dysfunction of our midfield when trying to create an attacking formula today (and, to be honest, so far this season). I love Arteta – he’s more than earned my trust, respect and admiration – but do you think we’ve gone into the season without enough attacking options in central areas?
Thanks! Glad to hear it! Every tactic has a downside and the downside of playing a control first JdP system is that it can be predictable for the opposition. Players may rotate but the same areas are always occupied and players don’t improvise. It becomes really difficult to create enough overloads or cause enough chaos to unsettle a defence from such a structure. So you create from: a) high turnovers from your press b) virtuoso attacking talent c) transitions d) set plays. All teams want/try to do these things but for a JdP system it’s particularly important. Pep’s teams are… Read more »
Football manager alert. Guess what, we’re 5th.
Thanks for not including any Keane’s or Carragher’s in today’s quotes. It would have been too much after today’s faceplant.
The difference between Arsenal and Man City is that Man City can lose games but they always look good enough to get back into it or even win the game.
Arsenal could have played for an hour longer and still would not have scored.
And Arsenal are blunt when Saka is on the periphery of the game as he was to today.
For me the challenge is more or less over – we will likely drop more points to Liverpool than gain them
I watched the Man City game after, knowing the outcome, so I could watch more objectively. They looked very dangerous after Gvariol’s goal (and Doku’s introduction) and an equaliser would not have been shocking. But they were badly outplayed by Bournrmouth for the first 82 minutes or so. Bournemouth did not get some fluke goals and then hold on–they were dominant. I don’t mean there were no isolated periods of Man City having the upper hand–this was a Premier League team, not a cup tie against a League One side. But that’s all Man City were–a Prem team with lots… Read more »
I think Arteta got the tactics all wrong today. Go back to basics. Play players in their best, or natural position. Partey in midfield, Kiwior at LB if Zinchenko isn’t up to it. Get someone a bit closer to Martinelli high on the left, maybe try Jesus up front again with Havertz or Rice in left 8 and get those three rotating.
Good shouts. I felt from the start it was ok but once we were a goal down it wasn’t, and was thinking a lot of the same changes as you. I wanted to see Jesus centrally for Trossard and Sterling on the left.
The little silver lining is City’s loss. It’s as you were. I don’t expect Liverpool to keep up this pace: they are not at prime City level.
The issue is that we have no real system and thats on Arteta. I always had the feeling but when Saka, Ode and Martinelli were all firing, it was less obvious – now it is more than ever. The base idea is to set out some basic guidelines (RB overlapping, LB drifting into midfield, basic positioning etc. what a 3rd tier coach could do) and then just send out to lads to find solutions. I think Ode and Saka are even better than we think because they carry this team week in week out with this method. Having a proper… Read more »
I can only say that opposing managers – most recently Arne Slot – seem to strongly disagree with your negative take on Mikel, (Not to say that I always agree with his in game management in particular!)
I see a lot but not often that a take with this much in the way of explanation is just 180 degrees wrong. Arteta is one of the most stringently systematized coaches there is. Juego de Posicion my man. Arteta is one of the best in the world at creating a system of rigid fluidity whereby different players occupy the same zones in rotation at different times. In fact that’s one of the criticisms of him which is fair is that he leans too far into his system even when it doesn’t optimally platform the talent he has. Flexibility and… Read more »
whom for ex?
Well said, Ian! And there was better “team spirit” when you played! This lack-a-daisycal attitude wouldn’t have been tolerated back then!
Frustrating. Arteta sounds it, which is good as he’s got some thinking to do about the balance of the side. We looked turgid but I cannot agree with all the “season is over” chatter when were just 25% of the way through. Going to try and avoid the doom and gloom until Wednesday and hope that is a shot in the arm. COYG
With Man City poor by their standards and Liverpool having played powder puffs so far, I don’t think the league is gone at all. It may be mid-80s that wins it this season, but with both Man City (without Rodri) and Arsenal out of form, anything can happen.
I don’t get it? Watching the game yesterday and there were a few minutes here and there where we pressed as a team, but other than that there was no urgency, no energy and honestly a lot of the players looked very tired!!
Good to see EN get more mins in the PL though.
Chin up Gooners!!!
Oh dear..blogs has lost it! Partey has been one of our most consistent players so far playing many games multi positions. I love Tom Partey…everybody does!
Partey is (mysteriously) injury free and playing his best football with us week in, week out. The usual one per game clanger, such as giving ball away as deepest midfielder ( or RB ;), seems to have gone… That was the high stakes with playing him before. I think he is advertising his talents for the next club and his final contract.
Odegaard went injury free all of last season. How often do modern players go injury free for two consecutive seasons. Not buying creative midfield backup was an obvious mistake. Title race isn’t over though. City lost and will lose more. Liverpool is overrated.