Arsenal didn’t play that poorly in attack contrary to popular opinion

Just Arsenal News

·9 janvier 2025

Arsenal didn’t play that poorly in attack contrary to popular opinion

In another world, Gooners would have been celebrating a comfortable win against Newcastle last time out. Instead, we’re left ruing a loss that could very well mark the end of our League Cup ambitions this season. As we all know, goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon condemned us to a disappointing defeat on Tuesday night. The loss was our first at the Emirates in eight months—the last one (against Aston Villa) played a significant role in denying us the Premier League title last season. This latest setback, like the one before it, could come at the cost of silverware if we’re unable to overturn the deficit in the second leg.

On another day, we might have won that game 3–2. The stats certainly suggest so. Arsenal posted a total xG of 3.09 compared to Newcastle’s 1.22, creating 23 shots and six big chances. But those big chances were squandered, to the frustration of the Arsenal faithful. With numbers like that, it’s tempting to lay all the blame on our attack, but that wouldn’t tell the full story. Yes, we failed to convert chances, but our defence also deserves scrutiny for the goals we conceded.

Vidéos OneFootball

Both goals Newcastle scored came from situations that didn’t initially seem threatening, and that’s what made them so frustrating. The first goal stemmed from uncharacteristic defending. A simple high punt upfield caused confusion, and after Saliba failed to win the initial header, the rest of the backline was caught ball-watching. The ball rather fortuitously fell to Newcastle’s most lethal finisher, and Isak made no mistake. Perhaps you could say there was an element of luck involved, but the defensive lapses in concentration certainly played their part.

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The second goal was even harder to excuse. Allowing Isak that much time and space inside the box to fashion a shot was unacceptable. Our defenders should have done far better to contain him before his effort led to Gordon’s tap-in. Both goals, especially the second, came against the run of play, scored from the few chances Newcastle had throughout the match. In some ways, we were unlucky—but that shouldn’t be used as an excuse.

At the end of the day, the reality is that we should have scored multiple goals, and we didn’t. A post I came across online claimed the difference between the two sides was Alexander Isak. While he wasn’t the entire difference—Newcastle’s defensive resilience and hunger also played a big role—Isak was undoubtedly a difference-maker. He was heavily involved in both goals, and I can’t recall seeing a striker unsettle Saliba and Gabriel the way he did in this game. Both defenders could—and should—have done better in containing him, though they weren’t solely to blame for the goals.

With Saka out and our attacking options stretched paper-thin, our defence needs to be more solid than ever to provide balance. We’ll have to sharpen up in the coming games, but I’m confident we have enough quality to do so. Let’s hope we bounce back stronger!

BENJAMIN KENNETH.

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