Today’s lock-picking contributor is @labogoon
Newcastle have endured a grim start to this season, and sit in the bottom three with just one point to show for their efforts; hopefully Arsenal will add to their misery as we visit Tyneside this afternoon.
Good day one and all …
With a better start to the Premier League campaign than our hosts, we found good form in attack to score eight goals in our last three outings. Gunner-in-chief Unai Emery will be hoping that’s not impeded by the international break as we look to build on that momentum to string together a run of three consecutive wins.
Easier said than done though. For all the Magpies’ uninspiredness they are a very stubborn side that don’t just roll over. Rafael Benitez knows the value of every single point and usually sets his team up to play a deep defensive line, looking to exploit gaps on the counter. And if it don’t open up he won’t go search for it either because he’s more than happy to rather frustrate you and scrap for a draw; and today won’t be any different.
With our attack being the key to victories, Lacazette could again lead the line to make sure Rafa doesn’t get any ideas. He embraced a similar challenge last outing on his first start by producing a match-winning performance and combined well with Auba to open both their goal accounts. Since Auba signed for Arsenal him and Lacazette have shared a mere 471 minutes together on the pitch, in that time they scored 11 and assisted 5 goals between them. So there’s a good argument that we would be better off utilizing this immense firepower week in, week out. They share great chemistry on and off the pitch and given our defensive issues they may well be an ideal antidote.
We still need to get a lock on the back door though before it gets observed as a weakness to be exploited.
Some are of the opinion that Lucas Torreira may be that bolt. He impressed in his cameo appearances by adding a different level of composure to a midfield that got found out to be too open, too often. So to utilise him best one can’t help to think he needs to play more.
This past week there has been a lot of “sweating” going on over his fitness after picking up a knock on duty for Uruguay, but he is available and it will be interesting to see if Unai, who is yet to find his best matchday XI, gives him the nod.
That said, given the concerns about our tendency to make sloppy mistakes at the back, some think Newcastle may sneak a goal and defend it with their lives …
However, if we keep our presence of mind, wisdom will prevail.
There has been plenty of signs of promise and I don’t doubt that once our defence match our attack there is greatness waiting to be unlocked in this team.
It’s Liverpool vs Spurs in the curtain-raiser and we know what that means right?
Arsenal has a good chance to gain ground on some of the early pace setters.
Everything crossed, dear Gooners!
Positively Arsenal 
Shame about the clean sheet, but plenty of time for those, but I will take that result, and a nice little Fuck You to all Xhaka and Ozil haters
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FT: Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
well worth the win in the end, but not great in first half, and not clinical enough when we had Newcastle on the rack, and once again no clean sheet.
Xhaka with a great freekick goal gave us the lead early in the second half, and Ozil with a very calm finish to make it 2-0.
Newcastle did not have a shot on target till the 90th minute but still managed to score with a Clarke header.
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Nervy at the end, but on we march, and now breathing down the end of the Spudneys.
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Arsenal now have a run of 4 home games in a row, Vorskla in EL, Everton in BPL, Brentford in CC, Watford in BPL
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Fair to say that each performance has been slightly better than the last?
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that goal has left me extremely frustrated and a little grumpy which is strange on a day when the spuds have lost at home (of sorts) and we have won away.
However the two goals in injury time and our missed chances mean we are sitting one place behind them instead of in front.
Papa the undisputed Motm on a day the opposistion had a truck load of corners and crosses and every tackle he put in was well timed and crunching in places. He even had time to help his teamates out when they made big errors.
First half we couldn’t get the ball to the front players in good areas but for all the magpies gusto we defended very well and they never got a shot on target.
Second half we played well and could quite easerly of had a hatfull so to finish with just two and to conceed such a poor goal right at the end was extreamely disappointing.
In reality we have played well in the last two away games and I should be more than happy but at the moment I feel cheated.
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Bk
After the short pre-season following the WC this is probably the same for most teams in the league. Not including Tottenham.
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Wilfred Zaha:
“It doesn’t allow you to express yourself the way you would normally express yourself. You can’t go on a run.”
On not having the official’s protection when deserved or required. Simple statement really can’t imagine anyone who would choose to argue and fail against that.
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Ian, I dispute it, Xhaka for me #MOTM
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Aubameyang still not got his game up to speed so far this season, today his control let him down on more than one occasion, with better first touch he really could have had a goal today, as could Welbeck for the same reason.
Ramsey also not at his best today. Cech still struggling with playing out from the back, his wanting to take a second and even a third touch is leaving him having to rush the pass.
Torreira once again improved out midfield when he came on, and Xhaka had a good game right through. Sokratis probably had his best game so far for us. Monreal very lively when he ventured forward and it seemed a tactic today for Bellerin to cut infield a bit more than he has so far this season, when going forward. Ozil had a goal, but he also played some defense splitting passes, that he did not register an assist was not his fault.
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fins of course wilf is wrong, the defenders just want it more, and least we forget in my day that was not even a foul. But game management is king in the pgmol, never mind enforcing the rules. I see Harry Maguire who was on a yellow, only got the customary talking to when he body checked an attacker, can’t be sending off England players, now can we, game management you know.
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I dont think Torreira improved our midfield, I just think we played well as team second half. Certainly we got the ball forward quicker and got the forwards into the game,even Cech kicked long more second half.
George, Xhaka played well again but I think your proposal is because of the amount of stick he takes. Papa on the other hand did so well on so many different occasions when our Arse was laid bare and was the reason they didnt register a shot on target until late on. However the freekick was a lovely goal and he had already played well in the first half when so many of the rest of the team were struggling.
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I think it was both Ian, he improved the MF and we played better.
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Xhaka with that laser-like left peg; not just the free kick but the range and mixture of passes that kept us ticking and Newcastle mostly on the backfoot. My MOTM.
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What do you guys think of the way Unai changes the team around to try and get different dynamics?
I really like it that we can put out a great team at the start of the game and then still have excellence on the bench. I like it that we have a real squad feel for each game so far.
The more we win the more the team will grow together, (and other clichés) and get more confident,but this is a radical change at AFC and theres a lot of pressure on us now, its not easy for Unai or the lads in the social media age. It takes away the pleasure a bit. But hopefully the punditry will sort of collapse of its own weight.
I think some of the lads might have been still hungover from our last nightmare trip to Newcastle, but they dug in and like our game against Chelsea the score didnt really show how the match was.
Sure felt good at 0-2, and not so good at 1-2! On another day the lads could have banged in a few more. Lets hope that all still to come.
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As observed by @UniteForVAR on twitter:
“Pretty obvious the PGMOL has directed its refs not to issue yellow cards for dangerous play. The laws of the game and FIFA rules are clear; dangerous play must be punished. Apparently it needs a broken leg for the rule to be enforced.”
A couple of tackles by the Toon left their mark on the Arsenal lads.
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10 goals scored by 10 diff players,,,
that is nice in itself
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How many reds and pens against would vertongen have in an arsenal shirt by now?
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Vertonghen has got dirtier and dirtier under Poch. Very doubtful you can make that sort of contact with eye if your arm is swinging in a normal way.
Really though, this should remove doubt and leave Vertonghen in a world of disciplinary shit. Would certainly be a worried man right now if he was a rugby player.
So far worst Spurs have done is Cleverly ankle break from outlawed scissor challenge and Kane putting out Newcastle French defender for month of so with similar challenge 1st game last year, but so many bad challenges, close things, and utter dirt.
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100% if it was one of ours, and 200% if it was Xhaka, MOTD would be out for blood tonight and would use that earlier instance as proof there was nefarious intent, even if he didn’t mean to go full (someone on) Garin Evans.
They’ll say definite accident, if they show it.
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Probably has more. Dirty bastard.
https://www.sportlineng.com/2017/09/15/peter-bosz-mario-gotze-needs-dental-work-jan-vertonghen-foul/
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Correction to my comment at 4:52
Both CBs left alone by team mates to cover the cross for Newcastle’s goal
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Winning away after an international break is top business in my opinion. That we may not have been at the races throughout is irrelevant.
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As eddy’s stats show, Arsenal were pretty solid today, especially for an away game.
Xhaka, Özil were top class today. Cech keeps making brilliant saves.
The club has a few weeks with lesser games, to iron the remaining flaws out.
Onwards and upwards.
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so MOTD ignore the eye gouging incident in the spurs game, even in their Sunday paper roundup where it was main story on two of the ones they showed, but they went with the minor headlines, its disgraceful how they like other media outlets go out of their way to favor certain teams
on the subject of MOTD did anyone else notice dear old Gary trying to make something (anti AW) out of Ozil saying how happy he is with the new coach.
they don’t even try to hide their agenda’s
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MOTD outdid themselves tonight. Way that dealt with Zaha’s serious justifiable concerns was lamentable – ‘take it as a compliment Wilf’, ‘should have tried playing in 80’s’
Tell it to Diaby, robbed of chance for a truly great career by a guy with none of his talent.
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yes rich they are a disgrace
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I would be Intrigued to know how the spuds influence the media, is it levy or someone else?
They always get a very favourable coverage whatever they do.
sometimes it seems an England thing, though this time the offender is a Belgian
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New post is up.
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