Arsenal held off Newcastle United and regained the lead in the thrilling Premier League title race – two points ahead of Manchester City,
Third time’s the charm, right? The frustration was palpable after the Gunners conceded two short corners early in the contest, but it was an example of Mikel Arteta’s brilliant thinking over Nicolas Jover, when Eberechi Eze found space and fired a superb strike past Nick Pope.
However, Arsenal have struggled with fluency and sharpness in attack over the last few months, and it sounds like Kai Havertz’s first-half injury could be crucial, disrupting a hard-working midfield.
How Havertz’s injury could affect Arsenal
As pre-match preparations continued, it was a big show of faith from Arteta to call on Havertz in the ninth spot ahead of Viktor Gyokeres. The German is not an out-and-out goalscorer, but he is an attacking player.
However, the German player failed to go to the break, he collapsed after half an hour without playing football. It’s never good when a player goes off the ball.
What does this mean for Arsenal? You’d think Gyokeres would start the next string of important Premier League games, however his performance against the Magpies was little to write home about, sloppy and unconvincing as a forward.
However, Gyokeres has shown throughout the season that he can score goals, and while he should start going forward, another Gunners man should be dropped after his recent poor performance.
Arteta must ditch the struggling Arsenal star
Arsenal did the job, and that’s all that matters. However, they still left a lot to be desired in attack, and while Gyokeres struggled, it was Noni Madueke who was Arteta’s biggest weak link.
Having signed from Chelsea for around £50m last summer, Madueke has been a fixture in the Gunners’ title-chasing squad, although he is yet to show that the Londoners have got their money’s worth.
|
Performance of Noni Madueke vs Newcastle |
|
|---|---|
|
Matching Statistics |
# |
|
Minutes played |
81′ |
|
Terms + Help |
0 + 0 |
|
To touch |
38 |
|
Shots (on target) |
2 (1) |
|
Accurate passes |
23/24 (96%) |
|
Opportunities are created |
1 |
|
The crosses are finished |
0/3 |
|
Success. dribbles |
0/3 |
|
The discovery of the ball |
3 |
|
Duels won |
0/8 |
|
He passed |
2x |
The fact that Madueke has lost all eight of his duels against him underlines the improvement that is needed. He is fleet-footed and smooth, but vague and incomprehensible.
If the former Blues star was a forward, such mistakes could be forgiven, but he has behaved badly throughout the campaign and shows the weakest link in this Arsenal team. At least Gyokeres has scored in comparison, having won 18 in all competitions this season.
After all, this was nothing short of tragic but a microcosm of Madueke’s first season at the Emirates Stadium, with the 23-year-old scoring just one goal and assisting one in 26 Premier League appearances.
Bukayo Saka replaced his England team-mate after 80 minutes, and although it was a short-lived appearance for the north London talisman, he was lively, watching as a well-worked shot was blocked and created a chance without.
The season is right down to the business end, and Arteta will be quietly frustrated with his side’s performance, saying three points are all that matters at this stage of the term, with the Premier League title on the line.
Having said that, it is important that Saka returns to the starting squad now after his injury. Madueke is not playing well enough, and Arsenal will need to score more than one goal on his own at some point in the coming weeks.
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