Kevin Whitcher
Of course, it’s points that matter more than how they are achieved at the season’s end, so credit to the Gunners for winning a fixture that, on paper, should not have been so difficult to negotiate. Arsenal have won at Newcastle on their previous two visits, each time by a goal, and before that, there were the two draws - 0-0 and the 4-4, both matches that will live long in the memory for the wrong reasons. Given the Magpies’ travails this season, it was hoped this might be an easier 90 minutes than it proved.
There was an echo of the 4-4 game yesterday, with Arsenal crushingly dominant before the interval, and then totally conceding that superiority in the second half. It all looked like plain sailing with a comfortable 2-0 lead, and not much by way of resistance from the home team. Whether it was the visitors playing particularly well or John Carver’s team simply allowing them to is a point for debate, but the margin between the sides could have been greater than Olivier Giroud’s pair of well-taken goals. The delivery of Santi Cazorla for both was top drawer, whilst for the first, the advantage of playing Danny Welbeck as one of the wide attackers was apparent. Would Theo have won that header? The absent Ozil?
On that note, it was reported that the German playmaker was ill, hence him not travelling with the squad. With Arsenal, one never knows. I recall Manuel Almunia having a sprained wrist for months on end rather than Arsene Wenger admit he’d been dropped. However, with Ozil, if he was simply being rested, he would have presumably been on the bench as a back up option, and his performance in Monaco was hailed as a good one by those who watch him more objectively than a large number of Gooners. Interestingly, Arsenal’s first half play did not demonstrate they were any weaker without him, Cazorla, Ramsey and Giroud linking well, and it is conjecture whether he would have made a blind bit of difference to what happened in the second 45 minutes.
Arsenal would surely have expected their opponents to rally at the beginning of the second half, and the last thing they wanted to do was give them, and specifically the St James’s Park crowd, any encouragement. However, for the goal the Magpies scored, they were caught cold, a thicket of players ball-watching, and Sissoko allowed a criminal amount of time and space in the penalty area to pick his spot. It signaled the beginning of a very uncomfortable 40 minute rearguard action, as the Gunners failed to ever really get a foothold back in the game.
They did weather it, with the withdrawal of Alexis and Cazorla for Rosicky and Flamini a sensible acknowledgement of what the team required. Ospina, in goal, played well, pulling off a number of good saves. Matters were helped on a couple of occasions by questionable finishing from Newcastle, but fortune ensured the team’s winning habit in domestic football since the Spurs defeat continued.
Giroud’s goals were largely due to him outmuscling his marker Williamson. It was encouraging to see, and the more of this he brings to his game, the greater the chance he will become more prolific against stronger defenders. He’s no Diego Costa, but if he is to develop into the player Arsenal need in the physical intensity of the Premier League in every game, then he will have to win more of his battles against the likes of Vincent Kompany, John Terry, Martin Skrtl and Ryan Shawcross.
Whether Per Mertesacker was demoted due to the nature of his comments after the Monaco game only Arsene Wenger will know, but I suspect it has more to do with the new rotation policy to give Koscielny a break. Let’s see who starts against Liverpool, although I have a sneaking suspicion that we will see the same pairing as at Newcastle, with Mertesacker coming back for the Burnley game to spare Koscielny ahead of the FA Cup semi-final.
So in summary, great first half, second half hanging on like a boxer on the ropes, but no-one is going to complain about the three points. Occasionally, you get games like this. What matters is winning them. Arsenal are clicking into gear and on current form, should wrap up the customary top four spot by season’s end. However, defeats in the games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United might give us a different outcome. Certainly, the game on Saturday week, due to Liverpool’s resurgence with the return of Daniel Sturridge, is now a lot more important than it looked a few weeks ago.
Until then, enjoy the international break…
I am now on Twitter@KevinWhitcher01.
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Further Reading
A sequel to Arsènal – The Making of a Modern Superclub and entitled Arsène and Arsenal The Quest to Rediscover Past Glories has been written by myself and co-author Alex Fynn. It takes up the story of the club from the last update of the previous book, and can be bought online here. Use the promo code ‘Gooner’ to get 10% off the publisher’s price of £8.99.
