Arsenal - Newcastle : Game Three Review

Arsenal have grabbed the wave of euphoria after beating Twente and produced another stunning performance against Newcastle in the Premier League.

The Gunners won by 3-0. Two goals were scored by Robin van Persie and another one  was added by the young Brazilian player – Denilson.

Here comes and the analysis of each of Arsenal player’s performance:

GK: Manuel Almunia – Arsenal’s goalkeeper had little to do this match. He had to save a few weak shots, most of which were made in the second half. However, he made a crucial dive to deflect Owen’s shot into a corner. His performance in this match was good.

LB: Gael Clichy – He showed great spirit again and fought for the ball every time. He was probably the man who ran the most in this match. Clichywas stable on his side but he didn’t have the chance to go forward as often as usual due to the good play by Nasri on the Left part of the midfield. Well played by the lad.

CB: Kolo Toure - He did his job without a fuss and even showed desire to get on the score sheet. Firstly, he attempted a beautiful low drive in the 5th minute but his shot was saved superbly by Shay Given. His second shot was in the second half when he managed to win a ball in the air but Given somehow saved it, again. The attempt to finish the job when the ball rebounded off the keeper was again unsuccessful.

CB: William Gallas – He has picked himself up after being criticised for his weak leadership of the team. This match was different though. He won all his balls when Arsenal had to defend. He made some good interventions in the midfield as well and attempted to score but his shot was seen going above the bar. He orchestrated the defence well.

RB: Bakary Sagna – His good reading of the game did not allow the Newcastle left winger to win a lot of space and effectively neutralised him. He played good as usual and had only a few problems near the end of the match when he allowed Newcastle players to make a couple of crosses.

LM: Samir Nasri – Nasri is ready for Premier League football. Again he was one of the engines that drove Arsenal forward. His imagination helped the team and left the Newcastle defenders only guessing what his next move was going to be. Again, he proved to be a good partner for Clichy on the left side, both covering for each other.

CM: Francesc Fabregas - His short passes were effective. His confidence and presence helped his team and Arsenal looked a very different side from the one we saw against Fulham. He is a very valuable asset to the team. He tried a free kick. He also tried a few defensive moves but they were not his better side today. Nevertheless, his presence on the field inspired his team-mates to play with efficiency and attractiveness.

CM: Denilson – The Brazilian has justified Wenger’s trust in him. He has improved his play a lot and that was obvious against Newcastle. He played with confidence and his tackling was quality. He scored the third goal, after showing good positioning and reading of the game. He was replaced by Alexandre Song in the 69th minute.

RM: Emmanuel Eboue – He started in the first team today, Walcott being left on the bench. He did his duties well and had a tendency to move towards the centre of the field which proved a successful tactic resulting in Arsenal’s second goal. He did an inspirational back-heel assist to Robin van Persie. Eboue was replaced by Theo Walcott in the 72th minute.

ST: Robin van Persie - He broke his goal drought. First, he executed a perfect penalty and later on he finalised Arsenal’s attack in the 40th minute for his second goal. The return of van Persie to the regular scorer sheet was somehow darkened when he limped off the field to be replaced by Carlos Vela in the 63th minute.

ST: Emmanuel Adebayor – He is on the way of winning the supporter’s hearts again if he continues to play like this. Although he did not score today, he showed enthusiasm and desire to help the team. He carried Arsenal’s attack and acted responsibly, passing the ball to players with a better position than him. This is a way to go, Emmanuel.

Subs:

ST: Carlos Vela - It was his first play in the Premiership. In spite of getting only 27 minutes of play he impressed with his vision and vigour. There were questions about his fitness before the season but he proved to have the sufficient fitness and fought well for the ball. He bonded well with Theo Walcott on the field.

RM: Theo Walcott– His speed is blow-minding. He took over the right side from Eboue and did not disappoint. He was a danger for Newcastleeverytime he touched the ball and would surely have impressed Fabio Capello who was at the Emirated Stadium.

DM: Alexandre Song – He came on to replace goal-scorer Denilson with 20 minutes until the end of the match. He was stable and did not disappoint.

Unused Substitutes:

Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Ramsey, Johan Djourou, Nicklas Bendtner