Kevin Whitcher
First up, I cannot get too excited either way about what is effectively a meaningless game. Premier League fixtures of late (and going forward until the end of the current season) have as much importance as pre-season friendlies. Nice when Arsenal win (generally at home), disappointing when they don’t (usually away) but there is an element of ‘so what?’ about the whole thing. Attendances at the home games reflect this. Apathy is worse than anger, but that’s where we’re at right now.
If Arsenal do not win the Europa League this season, they will qualify for next season’s competition unless two things happen -
1. Burnley leapfrog Arsenal into 6th place
2. Southampton win the FA Cup
I think you’d get decent odds on that particular double. And Arsène Wenger’s team selection for the trip to St James’s Park reflected that. Reiss Nelson got a start last weekend, and yesterday it was the turn of Joe Willock. Hector Bellerin and Laurent Koscielny were absent from the first choice back four (Holding and Chambers given a run out). Elneny and Willock started in place of Ramsey and Wilshere, and Alex Iwobi came in for Mesut Ozil. There has been so much rotation of players for domestic games lately, I’ve lost track of who is being rested and who is injured.
Still, it should have been a good enough eleven to get a result against a side that were in the relegation mix until the last couple of weeks. And Arsenal started well, with an excellent goal fashioned by Mustafi and Aubameyang, before being converted by Lacazette. On this evidence, the latter two could work in the same starting eleven. On another day Lacazette might have scored a couple more.
There were six changes from starting eleven in Moscow, so using that game as mitigation is not going to wash. Joe Willock tried hard, but when he had a clear opportunity to score skewed his attempt well wide, mis-hitting the ball. Arsenal had by far and away the most possession, but their hosts did more with the ball.
The first Newcastle goal saw Mustafi caught by surprise at the near post, ball watching. There is a lack of awareness about opposition players around him that is a concern. The second goal, after the interval was a comedy of errors which ended with a spare player on the back post to slot home the chance. After the game, Arsene Wenger pointed to “Unbelievable mistakes in the defence for the two goals.” Looking at so many of the conceded goals this season, what’s not to believe?
It means every away trip in the league in the current calendar year has ended in defeat. Add the FA Cup trip to Forest and the Carabao Cup Final, and away from the Emirates, the only saving grace against domestic opposition was the 0-0 semi-final first leg at Chelsea. Europe has provided a different story, and the only feasible explanation would seem to be the motivation of the players for those games. They believe they have a chance of a trophy, so put in more focused effort. Not certain that will be the case at the Wanda Metropolitano in early May, but time will tell.
Before that, Arsenal will travel to Old Trafford (between the two semi-final games) and doubtless put out a similar line-up to the one seen yesterday. What chance another scoreline akin to that August 2011 nightmare that should have seen the club change manager after five trophyless seasons and several indications he had lost the ability to build a winning team? Leicester and Huddersfield are the other away games that will complete the domestic travels. Coud we be looking at eight consecutive Premier League defeats on the road? If Arsene continues to play weakened teams, you can’t rule it out. Can we blame him for resting players though? His priority is the Europa League, and his job probably depends upon winning it.
That does not excuse the poor display by the players that turned out at Newcastle yesterday, even allowing for the mix and match selection, and certainly isn’t going to bump up the crowd at next weekend’s home match against West Ham. I really can’t see this ending very well at all. Arsène could have gone out on a high last season, but with no Champions League this campaign he fancied his chances of one last title tilt. I doubt there is anyone outside his Totteridge abode who still believes he will ever deliver one of those again. And by all accounts, he lives alone these days…
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