Does Mikel Arteta stick to what he is comfortable or does she take a more adventurous turn against Newcastle United?
The noise around Arteta and its cautious prudent approach in the big games became much stronger after its team rescued a delay against Manchester City last weekend. Including the defeat against Liverpool in Anfield, it was the second time in a month that it was perceived that Artata did not do everything to win a match against a title rival with its best players on the field.
Declan Rice, Martin Zubimenddi and Mikel Merino made up his midfielder three in the two games, with the lack of creator from the start of a collision point for those who want more invention.
In Anfield, Martin Odegaard returned from a shoulder injury, so he came after 70 minutes alongside Ebelechi Eze, who was making his debut for the club. Against Manchester City, Odegaard was released again, whilebe arrived at halftime and helped shoot the match by helping the equalizer of Gabriel Martinelli.
This week, Arteta responded to the criticisms who wanted to see the old playmaker Crystal Palace in the departure XI. “Could he have played 90 minutes (against City)? This is a question that I ask myself because none of you know the charge he can do,” he said.
“It is therefore easy to say that it could have played from the start. Maybe not. Because he has already played two games from the start, and he never played like a good attacker in his field. This is another new element for him.”
Even if the game came too quickly for Eze to start, its impact against City was immediate. Merino spent most of the first half to fight to win and keep possession, but Eze received the ball on the U-turn and allowing Arsenal’s attacks to flow a few minutes after its introduction.
The example below is the second time after his arrival in which Eze received the ball and found Bukayo Saka. He takes a touch with his left foot to receive the ball between the rice lines, then easily uses his next to spend Saka with his right foot. In three passes, Arsenal has passed their own half inside the city box.
Against Liverpool and City, the preconceived question seems to be the physical challenges of these games, which can also be one of the few considerations for Newcastle on Sunday. Arsenal has had difficulty playing through the Eddie Howe team in recent years, especially at St. James’ Park.
Since he beat Newcastle 2-0 in May 2023, in which they survived an early assault on the hosts, Arsenal has failed to score in three visits to St. James’ Park in all competitions. The energy and the atmosphere created inside the stadium play a huge role, but the defensive discipline of the Howe team. While Newcastle Press Arsenal High sometimes, they are also sufficiently trained to hold their positions and operate Arsenal for their openings in an effective average block. This is something that other Premier League teams have since adopted since facing them.
This worked particularly well for Newcastle during the 2023-24 season, when they were the first of the five teams that Arsenal failed to shoot the target against. You will find below an example of how they frustrated Arsenal with two separate kicks in the game, sticking three narrow players by the box, whether David Raya went long or short.
After the defeat at St. James’ Park in May 2022, when a 2-0 victory in Newcastle ended the hope of Arsenal of qualification in the Champions League, Arteta said: “It is a question of understanding certain situations of the game, not to continue to put the game in this mood.”
The following season, Arsenal improved considerably in the way they “experienced” matches, which often meant appearing the crowd before taking control of the game. Even if Arsenal tries to settle things on Sunday evening, Newcastle players and fans will not facilitate it.
Arsenal tried to do something similar to Athletic Club in the Champions League this month, but neither the players nor the athletic fans left them. Arteta joked after the draw for the city that no one has questioned his decision to start Rice, Zubimendi and Merino as a midfielder in Bilbao. But that is not what earned them the game, Martinelli and Leandro Trossard adding different bench dynamics.
This test and recent Newcastle changes can however make the need for a greater adventure. While they only scored goals in two of their five championship matches this season, the Howe team has kept four clean leaves. They also played with a rear three / five in two of their last three championship games, although these two games are far from their home.
Asked about the positioning of Eze after the victory of the Carabao 2-0 Cup against Port Vale Wednesday evening, Arteta said: “He played very at the center against a team of 5-4-1, super compact. It is not easy to find the spaces, but it is very capable, as you saw with the goal and three or four other actions.”
The first month of Eze at Arsenal has proven that it is capable of both central and wide. Newcastle Away can simply be a case of deciding arteta where he thinks that Eze can be the most dangerous and which can be around him to give Arsenal the advantage they need. If this is more central, the use of Martinelli Out could have a meaning, especially since it previously created objectives with a direct race in St. James’ Park. If this is wide, then the attention will focus on the midfielder, three Arteta selections.
Last season, Odegaard was still injured when Arsenal went to Newcastle in the Premier League, then Arteta played a 4-4-2, with Rice and Merino as two central fields and Kai Havertz and Trossard in advance. Arsenal generated only one shot on the target when they lost 1-0. Almost a year later, Odegaard is still a matter of days of return to Vale Pre-Port of Fitness, but Ethan Nwaneri is also an option if Arteta feels comfortable to set up a more creative player.
Arteta can play this in different ways, but what he ends up showing everyone what he considers important in these great confrontations, at least for the moment. Fans will hope that it is more risk -taking, but it could depend on whether it considers that this team is ready to fight for a typically difficult opponent.
(Top Photo: Alex Pantling / Getty Images)
