Rating the Arsenal Players Against Newcastle

On an incredible day of Premier League action, Arsenal topped the bill in style with this thrilling 7-3 victory against Newcastle United.  Whilst Theo Walcott will grab the headlines, there were plenty of other star performers, and a few who rather let the side down on the defensive aspects of the game.

Go to the next slide to see how the Gunners rated against Newcastle, and don't forget to let us know your thoughts below.

Defence

GK Wojciech Szczesny (7/10)

Usually, when a goalkeeper concedes three goals, he is at least partly at fault.  However, I felt that Wojciech Szczesny continued his recent good form with a mostly solid display, and there wasn't much he could do about any of Newcastle's goals.

In the first half in particular, he made some impressive saves to keep the score at 1-1, denying the likes of Tiote from range and showing some good reflexes.

DR Bacary Sagna (6/10)

Bacary Sagna, who is usually remarkably consistent, didn't have his best game in an Arsenal shirt.  He will be particularly disappointed at the ease with which Gabriel Obertan skipped past him for Newcastle's second goal.  That said, he linked well with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and always offered an outlet on the right side.

CB Laurent Koscielny (5/10)

Every time Per Mertesacker is missing from the Arsenal side, his importance to the team becomes all the more obvious.

Laurent Koscielny is faster, more technically accomplished and offers more bringing the ball out of defence.  However, whilst Mertesacker seems to calm the side down, Koscielny has the opposite effect of sparking panic and confusion in the defensive line.

CB Thomas Vermaelen (6/10)

Thomas Vermaelen's battle with Ba was a fascinating one.  The Senegalese striker's goals detract from the fact that he's actually a very intelligent all-round forward.

For the most part, Vermaelen coped well, but he won't be happy to have marshalled a defence that conceded as many as three goals.

DL Kieran Gibbs (5/10) 

Kieran Gibbs' performance in this match is difficult to assess, as the quality of his performance seemed to vacillate wildly either side of the halfway line.  He was threatening going forward, combining well with Lukas Podolski and squaring for Walcott's second goal after a typical burst to the byline.

However, defensively he was poor and lost his man on Newcastle's second and third goals.  Considering that defending is his primary responsibility, I have to reflect that in his score.

Midfield

CM Mikel Arteta (6/10)

Mikel Arteta has played more football than most in this Arsenal team, and perhaps it is starting to show.

When Newcastle attacked, I felt the likes of Sylvain Marveaux and Gael Bigirimana were often allowed too much time and space, and with Wilshere and Cazorla bombing forward, Arteta struggled to keep pace with Newcastle's sprightly midfield.

CM Jack Wilshere (8/10)

Jack Wilshere made some telling contributions to this match.  There were a couple of trademark bursts through the midfield, one of which ended with a beautiful clipped ball to the back post to help create Lukas Podolski's goal.

His score would be higher, but for the fact that he turned his back on Demba Ba's free kick, allowing the ball to deflect off him and past  Szczesny. 

AM Santi Cazorla (8/10)

Although Santi Cazorla didn't have his best game in an Arsenal shirt, he was still central to all of our attacking play.  He set up Chamberlain's goal with the sort of intelligent pass that was so perfectly weighted it allowed The Ox to get it out of his feet and hit it early.

Cazorla also ran his socks off for the team, and showed a willingness to get stuck in when needed.

Subs

DM Francis Coquelin (5/10) helped shore things up but was mostly anonymous.

AM Aaron Ramsey (7/10) was involved in a couple of incisive breakaways from the left.

 

Attack

RW Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (8/10)

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looked mightily relieved to score his first league goal of the season, and it was an impressive one too.

In the first half, he was involved in almost every Arsenal move, and although his final ball was more erratic than usual, he still continued the upward trajectory of his recent performances.

CF Theo Walcott (10/10)

Three goals and two assists make it impossible to give Theo anything but a perfect score.  This was probably his best performance since arriving at the club almost six years ago, and the perfect audition for a long-term role as Arsenal's centre-forward.

All three finishes were excellent, although the cross for Olivier Giroud's first showed he still has plenty to offer on the wing too.  Whatever position he starts in, in this form Arsenal must do everything they can to keep him.

LW Lukas Podolski (9/10)

Podolski's goal will compete with Mikel Arteta's against QPR for the title of Arsenal's scrappiest strike this season, but the German deserves plenty of praise for an incredibly hard-working display.

He was like a terrier from the first whistle until he was withdrawn with 10 minutes or so to go, and also had the craft to create the opening goal with a lovely ball down the left.

Subs

CF Olivier Giroud (9/10): You can't do much more than come on with 16 minutes to play and score twice.  Only the bar denied him a perfect hat-trick.

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What did you make of Arsenal's players against Newcastle United?  Have your say below.