Newcastle 0 – 0 Arsenal: Match Thoughts And Individual Analysis

All-round stupidity will be the only memorable part of this predictable, drab encounter.

Arsene went with the expected line-up and the Gunners played higher up the pitch than would have been advisable. Whenever the Gunners got the ball out wide, and there were at least four or five defenders against an attacker or two. The crosses didn’t lead to a single threatening opportunity.

Unfortunately, the players didn’t have the right understanding or work rate to get past Newcastle’s tight marking and create something down the middle either. Few half chances that did fall to the forwards were squandered by poor first touches.

At the other end, again as expected, the Barcodes just didn’t have any quality in the attacking third to seriously test Szczesny. Even when Arsenal were down to ten men, the hosts never really looked like scoring as the defenders attacked the hopeful balls put in the box with purpose and conviction.

I thought the back six performed admirably for the Gunners whereas the five in front of them ranged from average to pedestrian.

There weren’t too many moments worth talking so I will come straight to the two occasions where the ref might have made big mistakes.

First was an incident with Song stamping Joey Barton. I am not sure if it was deliberate or not but it seemed like Song knew what he was doing. This was probably in retaliation to the trademark Barton tackle in which he kicks the balls by going through the opponent’s calf with a heavy swing of his leg.

Could the ref have given a red card to Song? I thought the stamp was not a malicious one because it didn’t hurt the Newcastle midfielder who was up and running within seconds. It was more like a warning – “Don’t kick me from behind”. But we have seen red cards given for such reactions and technically it would be right. If not a red, it could easily have been the second yellow card for Arsenal’s best player on the night. I am worried there might be some retrospective action as the officials had missed the incident.

The second and undoubtedly a lot more significant moment came in the 76^th minute.

Gervinho ran into the box and cut back inside. Tiote went for the tackle and might have grazed the winger’s foot. The way the Ivorian went to ground was overly theatrical and could easily have resulted in a booking. For a foreign player at Arsenal, a repeat of that in the future can be disastrous as he will be singled out and hung out to dry by the press. It will also have a direct impact on the number of valid penalties that are disallowed. Most importantly, he has the ability to stay on his feet and make a difference. So I’d say his focus has to be on doing the right thing.

It seemed Peter Walton was waving play on when Joey Barton went and grabbed Gervinho by his shirt to drag him up. A scuffle ensued as other players got involved. For a short moment, the Ivorian was surrounded by three Newcastle players but his teammates rushed in to support. In the melee, Gervinho somehow managed to tap Barton in the face and he went down as if on the receiving end of a boxer’s knock-out punch.

Gervinho, in a moment of madness, wasn’t able to control his reaction and technically deserved a red card. He will now miss three big games.

Peter Walton then went on to give a yellow to Barton. Inexplicable. Unjustifiable. Impotent stupidity of the highest order. It’s impossible to digest that a man with so much top flight refereeing experience can be so bereft of common sense. But there are quite a few of those around and if the Gunners give the ref a chance to screw them, they should be prepared for the worst. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying the ref was anti-Arsenal. I just think referees in the English game make far too many moronic decisions when they go by the book over something trivial while being lenient towards a number of dangerous and serious offences.

I don’t want to pin the result on the referee though. Arsenal were going to struggle with these tactics and players and a Red for Song might have been a lot more disastrous for the Gunners.

The players also need to understand that getting dirty with a guy like Barton can never work in their favour. It’s like wrestling with a pig. Not worth it and can be, as it was in this case, detrimental to the cause. Gervinho, if he had to use theatrics, should have employed them when Barton got physical.

This might still work in Arsenal’s favour as the Ivorian will be able to focus on the Champions League qualifiers but Wenger will have a hard time in picking a strong team to face Liverpool and United.

Anyway, I’d rather put this game behind me. There really wasn’t much to remember or discuss.

Individual Performances

Szczesny: Good decision making, got enough purchase on his punches, collected everything that came his way, looked composed and alert.

Sagna: Worked hard up and down the right. Big contribution in retaining possession. Could have done better with his crosses but the targets were always outnumbered.

Koscielny: Close second in my MotM choice. Read the game well, made crucial clearances, was tight on his man and didn’t make any mistakes.

Vermaelen: Did fairly well but not as good as Koscielny. Missed a couple of headers and Newcastle got some half chances on his side of the box.

Gibbs: Got into good attacking positions and some of his crosses were in the right areas. Could have moved the ball faster on a couple of occasions, which might have led to better attacking chances. Should not drift inside as often as he did. Great pace and good positioning while defending.

On the whole, I thought the back five deserve a lot of credit for the way they defended. There were some iffy moments but that was more down to the fact that enough cover wasn’t always available. I was impressed by the number of first headers that Arsenal won in the box. More of that will be needed all through the season.

Song: Really the only one supporting the defence for most of the game. Did an excellent job sweeping in front of the back four and won most of his physical battles. Passing was quite impressive. Conceded a couple of fouls and could have been off but can’t blame his as he was doing a lot more than one man’s job.

Rosicky: Some neat turns and runs. A couple of deft passes in tight spaces. A lot more is needed. Work rate was not good enough and passing wasn’t incisive enough.

Ramsey: Quite ordinary. Off the ball movement wasn’t very good. Didn’t do well with the ball when put under pressure. Has the abilities but something is holding him back.

I thought the midfield wasn’t playing the rotating triangle anymore but Song was more of a dedicated sweeper, although he did move forward occasionally. The Cameroonian provided good cover in central areas and in the inside channels but wasn’t as much on the right as he is with Wilshere around. Rosicky and Ramsey have to offer a lot more with and without the ball.

Gervinho: Made some intelligent runs. Showed a quick turn of pace. Didn’t really have the final ball. He will struggle when the opposition has numbers in the box.

RvP: Missed some half chances. Poor movement and understanding with other attackers. Looked rusty. Put in a couple of good corners and a decent free-kick.

Arshavin: Played the two best balls of the game but not much more. The midfield just wasn’t able to find him in space. Messed up a glorious 2-v-1 opportunity when his pass was intercepted by the sole defender.

The attacking trio didn’t seem to be on the same page. They also didn’t have a very good understanding with the midfield. This was a bit predictable and disappointing.

Subs: Walcott looked off pace but produced the only real shot on target. Frimpong did his defensive bit. Djourou could have been a hero in the final two minutes but got a crucial pass wrong.

Wenger: The team is desperately short of quality with players like Cesc, Nasri and Wilshere unavailable. The manager has to be decisive. And he has to find some tactical tweaks to get the best out of the players at his disposal. Credit must be given for the work done on the defensive side but can it be sustained?