Five Things Learnt from Arsenal vs Newcastle
SillySeason take an in-depth look into Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle United
Arsenal defeated Newcastle United at St James’ Park earlier today thanks to a Fabricio Coloccini own-goal in the second-half, but despite the one goal, it was a very entertaining match filled with drama.
In our ongoing special feature articles, today we are going to look into ‘Five Things’ we learnt after The Gunners overcame The Magpies during the lunchtime kick-off.
So without further ado, lets look into five things that stood out for us here at SillySeason following the 1-0 win.
5) Gabriel Paulista and Laurent Koscielny Is The Future
Okay sure we are using the term ‘future’ lightly considering Laurent Koscielny is 29-years-old, but sooner rather than later, these two will be Arsenal‘s main centre-back pairing.
The duo were put together for the game against Newcastle United, and although they were kept fairly quiet for most of it, they dealt with everything thrown at them when needed.
Gabriel Paulista looked solid against Liverpool on Monday night, but was put alongside a shaky Calum Chambers, however, when next to Koscielny, he looked even better and more composed.
The pair won nearly every aerial battle they faced and kept Petr Cech‘s job limited throughout with clearances and their ability to snuff out any slim chances that Newcastle managed to create.
Won’t be long before Per Mertesacker is seen as the third-choice centre-back.
4) Francis Coquelin is Vital
It’s shocking to think that Francis Coquelin is the first name on Arsenal‘s team-sheet, but he probably is these days.
The only natural centre-defensive midfielder at the club and easily one of Arsene Wenger‘s most valuable players right now. If the Frenchman got injured, that would leave The Gunners with just Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini. Not ideal.
Once again Coquelin was class for Arsenal. Strong, powerful and decisive in the centre of the park and he didn’t give Newcastle any time on the ball when they had it.
The Gunners simply need him to be fit all season, unless they make a signing before Tuesday.
3) The Referees Have Bottle
Okay so Newcastle United fans may hate this man this evening, but if you re-watch the game, Andre Marriner was brilliant.
In fact, the only decision he got wrong was when he didn’t award Arsenal a penalty when Florian Thauvin brought down Hector Bellerin inside the box during the first-half.
However, he made a superb decision to send Aleksandar Mitrovic off after he caught Francis Coquelin on the shin with a reckless challenge, and he held his bottle throughout the 90-minutes.
Can’t imagine there is much worse than thousands of angry Geordies screaming at you from the stands, but Marriner remained calm and dealt with the game brilliantly, despite the hostile reception.
A lot of Toon players went into the book today, but rightfully so as the players failed to keep cool after the striker’s dismissal.
However, it was a brilliant display from Marriner.
2) Aleksandar Mitrovic Needs To Calm Down
This guy needs to calm down.
He was booked within seconds of making his debut. Booked the following game after just coming on, and then sent off today after just 16-minutes.
The man is a loose cannon and Steve McClaren needs to contain him otherwise he could keep having him unavailable due to suspensions.
It took just quarter of an hour for the Serbian to wipe out Francis Coquelin and this time, he did see red as Andre Marriner gave him his marching orders straight down the tunnel.
His stupidity and aggression cost his team any points today and will now miss the next three games.
McClaren needs to sit him down and tame him as much as possible.
Just as one controversial striker leaves the Premier League, another has arrived. Mario 2.0 anyone?
1) Arsenal NEED A Striker
Every Arsenal fan knows it and today it was proven.
Listen Olivier Giroud is a good striker, there is no doubting that, even if some Gooners don’t think so, but he’s not enough if you want to win the Premier League. That’s a fact.
Arsenal fans will never fully support Giroud and it’s not clear why, he does score goals, but the fact he’s not a Sergio Aguero or a Luis Suarez will always be held against him.
Today Arsene Wenger tried Theo Walcott as a main striker, and once again it failed. The Englishman simply cannot do it. He goes missing and can’t get involved.
With Walcott not a striker and Danny Welbeck still injured, The Gunners need to bring in another option or else rely on Giroud all season once again.
Something needs to be done before Tuesday.
So there are the five things learnt from Arsenal’s narrow win over Newcastle today at St James’ Park.
What did you take away from the match?
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt