Author: TotalArsenal

Man City v Arsenal in the Forever Arsenal(‘s) Cup

My favourite Art Historian Kenneth Clarke once said that ‘Great men have a curious way of appearing in complementary pairs, there to keep human faculties in balance’. He was, as an example, speaking about the great ‘artists’ of the 18th century: George Frederic Handel and Johan Sebastian Bach. There is no doubt that Ferguson and Wenger needed each other to push themselves to the very best they could be; and it is clear that Klopp and Guardialo are similar ‘complementary pairs’.

But the big pair we will focus on for this game is the one of master and apprentice: Pep and Mikel. Nothing is more beneficial to a young career than being surrounded by a master or two. Mikel soaked it all up at Pep’s Citeh and it may well be that the two passionate Spaniards will become the two PL maestros for the current decade. Early days of course, and Klopp and possibly Ten Hag may have something to say about it too.

Guardiola is twelve years the senior of Arteta and it was a of course a very good choice by the former to ask Mikel to join him as soon as his playing career was over. Mikel’s English is much better (something that badly led down his Spanish Arsenal predecessor) and his focus on adherence to hard values and total football principles is much more Van Gaal-like than Cruijff and Wenger-like. Guardiola – more Cruijff or Wenger-like than Van Gaal-like – seems a bit more relaxed and philosophical these days; and there is certainly a bit of a calm master about him. I don’t like saying it but I have a lot of respect for the MC manager and the strategic decision making of the club’s owners.

It is ridiculous that we have played only half of our PL games and it is almost February. Our gap of five points plus a game in hand is surreal too. But tonight we are fighting Man City for a place in the next round of the FA Cup. It’s on ITV so a larger TV audience than usual will look forward to a great battle of the titans. Although Arsenal are of course the most successful FA Cup team in history, and we have to defend this honour every season, I wonder whether Arteta can afford to put out our strongest team with no hand-breaks on. The serious-looking Elneny injury is a significant setback to the team. Partey is of course key in any battle with MC but with MO injured we really are in a precarious situation. I don’t think we can risk Thomas tonight. So for me it is Lokonga time: put him in a strong team and show us what he is capable of. Now or maybe never, Sambi. Other than that I think we should start with many of the usual 11, with subs a bit earlier than usual. It is a big game and it never seems to work in these games to field a watered down starting eleven. We want to play well and put up a fight; there is more at stake here than reaching the next round in the FA Cup.

My Preferred Line-Up:

Ramsdale

Tomi-Saliba-Gab-Tierney

Sambi-Xhaka

Saka-Ode-Martinelli

Eddie

MC will push us back so Granit will sit deeper than usual which will be a good support to Sambi. Tomi and Tierney will be chomping at the bit for this one, and after 60 minutes or so we can bring on the likes of Zinchenko, White and Trossard, or even Partey to see out the game.

Alternatively, we can go wild and go with LeGall’s proposed starting 11:

Turner
Tomiyasu-Holding-Kiwior-Tierney

White-Zinchenko
Trossard-Vieira-Martinelli

Nketiah

What do you say fine fellow Gooners?!

By TotalArsenal.

There have been some strong speculations that Declan Rice will come to Arsenal this summer, or maybe even sooner than that. Who knows?!

The more serious sources in football, BBC and the Guardian, have both reported that Arsenal have had a meeting with Rice, including where and how they would see him fit into the team. Rice appears to want to move to Arsenal but money talks of course, and many a club will want the 24 year old English international to join them. Moreover, the way we are now playing, the very rich clubs with oil-deep pockets will want to stop Arsenal even getting better than we already are. But West Ham will want to help Rice to make the move he really wants such is the respect for him, a player who has played almost 200 games for them and is clearly too talented to hold on to. Arsenal can pay competitive wages so there should be no problem at all.

But the most appealing thing Arsenal will have to offer to him is to become part of the Arteta evolution; and boy is there a more exciting prospect in Europe right now?!

The big question is where would he play in our team: what did Arteta and Edu discuss with him? My short answer is he will play in Partey’s position and either Partey or Elneny will move on.

Thomas Partey has been very good recently and many believe he is making the biggest difference. He is positionally strong and has great presence on the pitch. There are two issues with Partey, however: prone to injury and not a great passer. The former is part of my prayers and the latter is an area where I cannot see him improve anymore. Thomas has three or four bad, unforced passes every game, and this is exactly where Rice will offer an upgrade. Arteta’s evolution is all to do with pressing (which TP does very well) and quick and accurate passing in tight spaces and under pressure. This is where we need to improve in the deeper midfield position imo.

Rice is mainly right footed and plays mainly on the right side of midfield. Xhaka is left footed and plays on the left. They would make a very strong couple in midfield. I believe that Zinchenko is Granit’s natural DM replacement and that Trossard and ESR will replace him in the more advanced position. Mikel rates and loves the almost always fit Xhaka and I cannot see him go anywhere. Finally, the fans have noticed this as well and he is getting the respect and love he truly deserves.

Comparison Partey/Rice:

Average number of passes: 65.1/61.3

% successful: 86.6/89.4

Key passes: 0.9/1.3

Tackles: 2.3/2.3

Interceptions: 1.2/1.6

Dribbles: 08/0.3

Who would leave if Rice becomes a Gunner?

Well, if Partey is happy to play less going forward – in the end he will become 30 this summer – then I would imagine Mo will move on. Maybe Mo has had enough of playing so little these days and will want to have a go somewhere else. A swap with West Ham maybe? However, Elneny seems very settled with his role at Arsenal and Arteta rates him highly. So my guess is that Thomas would move on if Rice joins us this year.

What do you think?

By TotalArsenal

Arsenal 3 – 2 Manchester United

Gunners on ferocious fire for 90+ minutes and at last they sacked Ten Hags exhausted Mancs.

Eight Observations:

1. The Zinch and Granit have found their collective groove. Both were excellent and the left flank was ours all game long. It’s taken a while for the Ukrainian and Swiss wizard to figure each other out, but wow they were brilliant. Despite all that support I thought Martinelli was a bit underwhelming with his final ball.
2. Zinchenko has a fantastic motor with fine excelleration. He had no fear of the Mancs’ high press and went through their lines like a Bentley. This made a crucial difference. Great positioning and interceptions too, and he had Anthony in his boot and rattled him all day long. His big game experience and enthusiasm was clear to see. Love those meaty underarms. MOTM.
3. Gary Neville, I have time for you mate but don’t have a go at Mikel for his enthusiasm. Ben White got a card straight away but Shaw could commit foul after foul and get away with it. THAT’S what Mikel was pointing out to the ref when he put four fingers in the air, not the severity of Shaw’s last foul. That was poor commentary.
4. Eddie played again for the team and was a constant threat. Two goals including the winner and we all love you, Eddie. Very close to MOTM.
5. Bukayo was once again a class act. Superb goal and almost a second from a similar effort. Bukayo left Luke ‘Shaw of the Dead’ all game. The partnership with Ode is one of the most beautiful ones to watch in Europe right now. It doesn’t get any better than that.
6. The midfield was ace again. Zinch and the strong substitute, Tomiyasu, really helped Partey a lot in the second half, and it made all the difference. Our full backs are Mikel’s greatest managerial invention, and we have great double cover there as well.
7. Did you feel that shot in the arms too when Trossard came on?! It was like all of a sudden revealing the last siege engine to finally crack the Mancs medieval castle. It was too much for them. The crowd was electric and the pressure was so intense. PB wrote in his match preview that our opponent are a fit team that often plays best in the latter part of the game. They did however play midweek and we didn’t, and it showed. Bringing on Trossard was a great psychological move by Arteta.
8. I cannot believe Arsenal only played half of its games and we are almost in February. Whatever happens next, these have been the most exhilarating set of games in the last 18 years or so. Great, lasting positive change happens when a leader – from Charlemagne to Alfred the Great and Herbert Chapman to Arsene Wenger – has a great vision and plan, focuses hard on non-negotiable values and norms, knows how to get the best out of people who have pride in what they do, operate with a long term plan of reform, AND put their heart and soul into it. Mikel I salute you (and please look after yourself!).

By TotalArsenal

Time for revenge? (22/01/23) – Game preview

New signings are always exciting, but life moves on, and we are facing another important game on Sunday. So far, the only team that defeated Arsenal in the Premier League is returning the visit, so regardless of their current position it’s a matter of pride to win against Manchester United.

Last season we had Man City and Liverpool taking all 6 points from our 2-2 encounters, plus we had Crystal Palace and Brighton taking 4 points each. So if we defeat the Mancs tomorrow then we have reduced the number of teams taking more points from the 2 meetings than us to a hypothetical 2, which might be further decreased if we don’t lose against Newcastle and stand our ground against the defending champions. This would be something to brag about…

Let’s start the preview with the notable absentees. Besides the long-term injuries of Jesus and Nelson we have to add Elneny to the list, as he had a knock. Normally I wouldn’t be concerned about that, but Elneny’s best games were against Manchester United (and Chelsea), so I’ll miss him from the bench, and will be worried if he will play against Southampton or Nottingham, where he shouldn’t. United has a longer list of players missing the game that used to be the highlight of the league for a decade: Jones, Dalot, Martial, Tuanzabe and van de Beek are injured, Sancho is in a bad place (officially he has ‘personal reasons’, but I don’t know the difference), and Casemiro got his 5^th booking in the 80^th minute of their last game.

By the way, yellow cards. The rules state that whoever accumulates 5 warnings in the first 19 round will be suspended for a PL match. This is our 19th game, and we have 4 players on 4 yellow cards. Jesus won’t collect his 5th, but Saliba, Saka and Gabriel Magalhães might. I know that the Everton game on the 4^th of February is not a season definer to say the least, but it would be nice to avoid suspension nevertheless. The 19^th round does not literally reset the card count, but almost: the next milestone is collecting 10 yellows in 32 rounds, which is less likely if the guys start the 20^th game with less than 5.

According to TransferMarkt their top-6 players with the highest market values are Fernandes, Antony, Sancho, Rashford, Casemiro and L. Martinez. Anthony, Sancho and Martinez worth so much because of their inflated transfer price, but indeed we do have to take care of Rashford and Fernandes, as they are strong and in-form players that can seriously influence a game. If we can switch them off, we are expected to keep all 3 points at home.

United is famous to protect their lead, so it would help if we could score first. Fortunately, we can rely on the brilliance of captain Odegaard, the dangerous dribbles of our wingers, and we can hurt Manchester in set pieces. Even though both Varane and Maguire are tall defenders, they will most likely mark our attacking outlets, so Saliba and Gabriel – the twin towers of North-London – could carve themselves a few openings after a corner or a free-kick.

They play in the same formation as Arsenal: 4-2-3-1, where Weghorst will play up front supported by Anthony and Rashford on the wings and Bruno from attacking midfield. The dual pivot behind them will be Eriksen with either Fred or McTominay. This will be one of their weaknesses as Eriksen – a former world class AM – has limited defensive contributions, and neither Fred nor Scott are on the level of Partey or Xhaka. I expect them to realize they will not win the possession battle, therefore resort to counterattacks; and that should decide the outcome as our central defenders are superior to theirs, but both William and Gabriel are capable of individual errors (If they could remove that from their game, both of them would be top-5 defenders in the PL). Their other weakness is that we have better players in 1-2-1 comparison for the majority of the positions.

What the boys should further take into consideration is the superior stamina of the opponent. Manchester United scored most of the goals in the final 15 minutes and conceded the least in the last half an hour. They will not get tired as easy as other teams, thus can be still dangerous even when trailing by 2 in the 80^th minute.

Our only loss this season in the Premier League came against our current guests, when we lost 3-1 at Old Trafford back in September. Since then Arsenal have drawn two and won the other ten of our league games. In fact I think we shouldn’t have lost that game either; you might remember that Martinelli’s opening goals was chalked off due to a bullsh*t fault Odegaard allegedly committed several seconds earlier. We were chasing the game after Anthony’s debut goal and after equalizing we were punished by 2 swift counterattacks (both scored by Rashford); let’s hope it will not happen this afternoon. The game official is no good news, though: the professional W⚓, Anthony Taylor.

Statistics suggest that neither teams should lose: Arsenal kept 5 clean sheets in the last 7 games (winning 6), while United is undefeated for 6 games suggesting a 0:0 result. Yet, I predict a 2:1 victory, especially as the red devils should only be proud of the scalp of their city rival, while defeating Nottingham, Wolves or Bournemouth is less of an achievement (no offense intended). There is a good chance that by the time the game starts we will be only 2 points ahead of Manchester City, with 2 games in hand to be fair. Let us win this one, and visit City on Friday in an FA Cup fixture full of confidence.

By Peter Barany.

All main sports news outlets are telling us that Trossard has signed for Arsenal. We needed like for like cover for our LW position for a long time, and the Belgian Seagull seems just the man.

Martinelli and Trossard both have scored 7 and assisted two goals so far this season, with our new signing doing it in two games fewer. With around 25 games to play Arsenal just could not risk not signing proper cover. No doubt ‘rods trod Arsenal’ (an anagram of Leandro Trossard) will want to become the Nr1 on the left. There will be healthy competition between the two, and his arrrival will also allow Arsenal to sell Martinelli if he pushes for a move in the next two or three years (which I for one predict to happen).

Emile can also play on the left but but he is injury prone and a different type of player to Trossard or Martinelli. ESR can play in Xhaka’s and Odegaard’s positions, where I think he will flourish more.

Nelson should be cover and competition for Saka, but he is injury prone and it just feels he is probably not going to make it. Marquinos may usurp him soon.

I would imagine Trossard can play on both wings, and maybe also in Xhaka’s more advanced position these days.

He is relatively cheap for an experienced and proven PL player. For example, the gorgeously carved Jack Grealish was about four times more expensive and his impact has been minimum since his arrival.

It remains to be seen whether this move will work out for both parties. It’s not without risk of course. Willian and Mkhitaryan for example did not work out for us at all.

But we need extra firepower and a proven PL LW for £21-25m is worth the gamble IMHO.

Welcome to the Arsenal, Leandro.

What do you think, fellow Gooners.

By TotalArsenal

Spuds 0 – 2 Arsenal

I could do my usual eight Observations but I think I would be repeating myself from previous summations. There is a pattern in our play now based around Mikel’s values, style of play, tactics and a settled first eleven players.

When Xhaka, Partey and the Ode are playing we have steel and panache in midfield. This is probably the strongest midfield in the PL right now. They bossed the Spuds in all aspects of the game.

In attack we have two very strong wingers who are also great support to their colleagues on their wings. The Guardian’s view is that we have the strongest wingers in the PL right now. I have said in the past that the arrival of Jesus has given us two great players; the other one being Martinelli. This mentor-apprentice relationship was electric at the start of the season. Marti is learning to shine without GJ9 on the pitch, and I liked how he went about his game yesterday.

Saka is at another level right now. He oozes control and unpredictability. The opponents fear him like thunder and lightning in an open field. 21 years old and having such an impact on the game. Wow.

I am loving Eddie now too. I had my doubts but he creates such fear in defenders with his unpredictable play, movement and choices he makes. Just like Jesus he misses chances as a result of fatigue from the way he is asked to play. He should have scored one perhaps, but I rather have a hard working CF creating space for others than the wait and pounce one that filled the position not so long ago.

The defence is just great. What a masterstroke by Arteta to move White to right back and play the Zinch on the left. They look so mature, and fearless and Ramsdale is great to make it an awesome five.

The first half was embarrassingly good. The Spuds were pealed, rinsed, boiled and mashed for 45 minutes. The face of Conte said it all. It was saying Mamma Mia please wake me up from this Gunners nightmare.

We are truly spoiled that we can rewatch a half like that eternally and never get sick of it.

The second half was full of grit and organisational excellence. And Ramsdale probably had his strongest game yet with exquisite saves and real presence in his area. That clean sheet deserves the biggest celebration. Aaron will be England’s Nr1 soon.

Oh what a glorious victory. All our opponents still have to reach the forty points mark while Arsenal can get to fifty with a win against the Hag men. On Sunday. I think Arteta’s motivational speech can be very short for that encounter: he just has to write in big letters ’50’ on the flip chart.

Ooh to, Ooh to be, Ooh to be A Gooner. 🙂

By TotalArsenal

Is it the time for an away win in the North-London Derby? (15/01/23) – Game preview

There are many clubs based in London. In fact, there are 7 this season in the PL; in alphabetical order: Arsenal, Brentford, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. So literally we have a $h*tload of London derbies in a year (in fact there are 42, but who’s counting?), however only one – technically 2 – of them have the traditions, emotions and passion and prestige to rule them all. On Sunday we visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to fight for 3 points and the bragging rights.

I wish I could say that we are the favorites to win that game, because we sit 11 points ahead of Tottenham. However, that would be misleading. The ‘good ole days’ when we defeated Spurs by 5:2 back to back games are far in the past. Nowadays the tradition of the derby is that the hosts keep all 3 points, irrespective of the squad quality, the current form or the table position. That happened in the last 7 encounters, and Spurs will do their ugliest best to keep the tradition alive. Let’s collect the good and bad omens before the game, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses and the style of play of the infamous opposition. Nevertheless, the winning streak of the hosts is the worst sign of them all.

Bad omen II: Harry Kane is in an exquisite form. He is their talisman players – as well as the record scorer in NLDs – and he is in a fine form. Except for England’s 0:0 draw against the USA and their 01/01 home loss against Emery’s Aston villa, Kane has made (at least) a goal contribution in every game he played since mid-November. We are talking about 8 games here with 7 goals and 3 assists, and in his last 2 encounters he was awarded MotM. While I do not particularly like the guy, this is a performance worth admiration.

Bad omen III: Tottenham has an annoying tendency of coming back from losing positions. Out of their 37 goals, 10 have been scored in the first half, and 27 in the second. This could help them turn the game around if they concede early, but also shows that Conte has serious skills in making proper mid-game changes both from tactical perspective and also formation-wise, deviating from their preferred 3-4-2-1.

Bad omen IV: they are motivated. The North-London Derby is a huge motivation on its own accord, but taking into consideration that the top 4 places seem to have sailed away from Tottenham (should be allocated among Arsenal, Newcastle and the 2 Manchester teams), they have this game as a minor cup final. And I’m not sure it is the same for us, but even so, it’s a smaller final. Plus they have to get us back for the earlier defeat, so they won’t have to dig deep to find their cojones.

Good omen I: They have a long injury list, that includes quite a few (half-)decent players. According to the latest team news, they will be missing the services of Richarlison, Bentancur (their 2^nd best in form player), Kulusevski (#5), Moura and Bissouma. On the other hand our match-day squad only lacks Jesus and Nelson, and while the former is indeed a big blow, he is seemed to be properly substituted by Eddie Nketiah, who scored 5 goals in his last 5 starts.

Good omen II: they are error-prone. Tottenham is not only known for making individual errors, but also for struggling when defending against skillful players. Now all 4 attackers are in great form, especially if we disregard our streak-ending draw against Newcastle. There is a good chance that Odegaard, Martinelli or Saka could open them up, and even though Romero is a fresh World Cup winner, his performance hardly reminds of that this season. Son doesn’t resemble the hitman he used to be, so if we focus on neutralizing Kane, we have good chances for a decent result, and even decent chances of a good result.

Good omen III: referee Craig Pawson. He is among the more reliable officials in the PL. Our only game with him this season was our 0:3 victory at Bournemouth (got a single yellow only). I’m not looking for favors here, but Tottenham is known to play the referees and diving, and I hope Craig will not be too susceptible with those tomorrow. And let’s not forget, VAR might help us with offside and handball, but when there is a minimal contact, everything will be up to the official’s interpretation.

Good omen IV: their strong and weak suits fit ours. Tottenham’s goals came from open play (25), corners (10!) and penalties. Arsenal only a single goal from corner, and none from direct free kicks or set pieces. Despite their really tall squad, Saliba and Gabriel M will fight off their aerial threats, while our creative players can cause problems to their robust, yet not too technical CBs, Davies and Dier.

Tomorrow’s game is not simply the clash of two antagonistic neighbours. It is also the fight of 2 different footballing philosophies. Tottenham represents the clubs where they bought their best players for big money (Romero, Richarlison), and they demand established, decorated managers to coach them (Mourinho, Conte). On the other hand, Arsenal prefers the smart purchases of undervalued players (Odegaard, Saliba, and all 3 Gabis), plus we pick our coaches based on long-term strategy and club DNA. Arsenal is known for their strong academy and giving chances to the young starlets (Saka, ESR, Nketiah), however this might be changing with Arteta (And the upcoming Mudryk-transfer is putting our smart transfer tradition in a different perspective, but this is a topic to be discussed under a different post.)

So we need to have Harry Kane disengaged, concentrate and focus while defending corners, disregard the intimidating atmosphere, and avoid situations where Tottenham players can appeal for penalties, free kicks and cards. I don’t think we need to have a preferred wing or particular tactics to score goals, as Spurs are not really good defensively, and without Bentancur they will struggle at midfield too. But they do have a lethal force, and even with 3 injuries Son and Kane are to be taken seriously.

Not surprisingly, I expect Tottenham to play in 3-4-2-1 (with Perisic and Royal on the flanks, and Gil + Son supporting Kane from the middle), while – even less surprisingly – we will be keeping our standard 4-2-3-1 with the usual starting line-up. I think even back-to-back NLD victories are on the table, but to be realistic I predict an enjoyable draw of 2:2 or maybe even 3:3.

What do you think of North London? Is it red? Is it blue? Or purple maybe? Be kind in the comments, but mostly to yours truly, not with Tottenham. 😛

By Peter Barany.

We are playing Oxford United in the Forever Arsenal’s Cup and the boys will be up for it. A win will mean a first of three mouth-watering encounters with Mikel’s former master and our toughest obstacle to silverware this year. We want the bling, so we need to field a good team that will get the job done properly.

Predicted lineup:

Turner

Tomiyasu, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney

Elneny, Ode, Xhaka

Saka, Martinelli, ESR

I am hoping for an Emile start and to try out Martinelli in attack. Saka and Ode to start for consistency but to be replaced sooner or later by Marquinos and Vieira. Hopefully Sambi gets some time too.

By TotalArsenal

Arsenal 0 – 0 Newcastle United

Six short and to the point Observations:

1. It would have been great to win this one but it was vital not to lose. The gap after 17 games is huge with third placed Magpies, and this did not change as a result of our draw. We didn’t lose because we were the boss in midfield and were almost always in control when we had to defend.
2. There is just such a good balance in our starting eleven. They play with great maturity that belies their inexperience. We had enough attempts on goal to win this game by one or two goals but just lacked that bit of luck and sharpness after three big games in eight days. I can live with this as it happens to every team that plays multiple challenging games in quick succession.
3. My only disappointment was in the way we allowed our wingers, Saka and Martinelli, to get too isolated. Often the midfielders or CF would pass the ball to them and then not offer themselves as a passing option, but move into the box. The full backs were also less involved than usual. As a result our wing play was less effective.
4. This was a game for GJ9 all day long, and we missed his ability to create mayhem and find holes in the tightest defences. GJ9 has the added bonus of knowing how to do wing play (support).
5. Was there anybody on the bench who could have made a difference late on? Maybe Vieira but that’s it. We need to shop, maybe just a loaner.
6. Who should run VAR? Any organisation capable of being totally neutral and consistent. All we want is consistency and we are not getting it. Ask Amnesty International or the NHS to run VAR, anybody but the referees themselves. Anybody can learn the rules and apply them consistently, except the referees themselves. Take it off them and pay some independent organisation handsomely to do a proper job. The ‘world class’ PL and its supporters deserve it.

By TotalArsenal

Arsenal vs. Newcastle (03/01/23) – Game preview

Tomorrow we will play one of the most anticipated games of the season. Two teams with young and talented managers with significant, yet not unlimited budget, focusing on smart transfers rather than spending huge on already established world class players. Still, I will not say this is one of the most critical games Arsenal face, as I am confident of a home win.

I’m not usually that optimistic – in fact I expect to gather 0 points from our 2 games against Manchester City (feel free, TA, to censure that remark) – but we are in a great form, they are slightly on the descend, we play home with almost the full squad available while Newcastle will miss main hitman Isak as well as Targett from their strongest line-up.

However, this post is not about my expectations or predictions (2:0 by the way), but a short analysis of the opposition. Based on the reception, it could become a returning column ahead of the PL games in the season, but let’s not look that far just now.

Newcastle is a popular club in England. Partly because they are currently the only PL club in a surprisingly large area, partly because they have an English-players-heavy squad. Their last silverware came from the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup back in 1969, but they had 3 FA Cup and 1 League Cup runner-up performance since. Even when they were in the top tier, they were rarely a top half team – not to mention being a top-6 contender – but this is expected to change this year, as per the upgraded circumstances: new owners, money invested in the squad and a talented manager started to bear fruits. We will play some close games with them, but let’s hope it will not happen tomorrow.

The most valuable players are Bruno Guimarães, Alexander Isak and Allan Saint-Maximin, but Isak is injured. Saint-Maximin plays for the Magpies for 4 years and was a smart transfer back than, but Bruno is the real deal (like White or Gabriel M.) it was a genius move to sign him even for 42M, and similarly was a genius move for Bruno to select Newcastle – even though Arsenal was reported to be courting him.

The most  consistently performing Newcastle players this season are Kieran Trippier (the best RB in the PL, another smart transfer from both parties), the above mentioned Bruno, Joelinton, Miguel Almirón and Fabian Schär. Out of the 17 games Newcastle had played in the PL this season (W:9, D:7, L:1) their players were nominated MotM 13 times. That is 7 players with a single award, and Trippier with 6!

Formation-wise Newcastle is the easiest team to predict. They always play 4-3-3, and they rarely switch with mid-game substitutions. They have a really tall squad (like an old-school British club), so they love attacking set pieces where both attackers (Isak, Wood) and defenders (Botman, Burn) are aerial threats. Thank god we have Saliba and Gabriel who both are anti-aircraft towers when needed. On the other hand they are not really  strong in ‘general striker duty’ with Woods and Isak both scoring twice, Wilson 6 times and all of them being caught offside countless of times. Their most clinical scorer is Almiron with 9, who is having his best year with the club, while Trippier (4), Guimaraes and Saint-Maximin (3-3) are leading the assist chart.

It also shows inefficiencies from the striking department that they scored only 5 goals from the 6-yard box compared to a 9.4 xG, while out of the penalty area they scored 8 while the corresponding xG was only 2.5! They scored 5 times from corners, which is quite remarkable, and Trippier is dangerous from direct free kicks. If we can neuter that then we are favorite to win the game, though. Newcastle scored the most goals (8 and 7 respectively) in the beginning of the second half and the end of the first half – so practically the middle of the game). While out of the 11 games they conceded, nine came in the second half, so they might be prone to fatigue or concentration lapses.

Since 2018 we have been winning all eight of our encounters with the Toons, apart from our very last, the 2:0 defeat at St. James’ Park that practically lost us the desired top-four finish. However we are on a five-games winning streak in the PL, while Newcastle just ended theirs with a draw against Leeds a couple of days back.

So how can we beat the Magpies now? Well, for a cliché answer: with dedication, hard work and luck. J

But if we want to go a level deeper, I think we should favour attacks in the middle and on the right, as Martinelli will face Trippier and Schär, two from the best in-form defenders in the entire Premier League. Let’s forget about high crosses from the byline, as Botman, Burn and Pope are really tall. So apart from corners, I wouldn’t bank on high balls into the penalty box. Yet, some of their old guard are more athletic than actually technical, so dribbling and 1-2 passes could be an efficient weapon against players like Longstaff, Lascelles, Murphy, Burn or Lewis. We should target their right flank, and play with short and quick passes as Pope is efficient against long shots and has great reflexes. I won’t mind if Odegaard becomes MotM for the 3^rd time in a row, as Newcastle is an opponent that suits his strengths, and he is in an otherworldly form right now.

I’m not even wasting your time with a predicted line-up, as we all know that if possible Arteta will send the same XI to the pitch, which is not bad seeing the record-breaking run. Yet I would consider starting Tierney ahead of Zinchenko, as Oleks might be eager to press and support the attacks, while the key threat might be coming from Trippier. What we should take care of, tough, is that Saka and Saliba are on 4 yellow cards, and if they get booked today they will miss the NLD on the 15^th of January. But if they stay sober/disciplined in January the yellow card count will be reset.

 The 2:0 prediction might seem like a conservative estimation, but let’s not forget that Newcastle conceded the least goals in the league, and that 11 is almost 8 less than the quality of the attempts, so they have a good GK and some quality defenders.

COYG!

By Peter Barany