Newcastle vs. Arsenal: Tactical Preview of Premier League Game
Arsenal travel to Newcastle United on Saturday in hopes of keeping their grip on a top-four Premier League spot alive. The midweek aggregate loss to Monaco will sting, but focus and attention must turn to another important, and potentially challenging, match.
Newcastle United News
The injured/suspended list for Newcastle, per WhoScored.com, is astonishingly long; Siem de Jong, Rolando Aarons, Steven Taylor, Robert Elliot, Paul Dummett, Cheick Tiote, Mehdi Abeid, Papiss Cisse and Fabricio Coloccini are all out for this game. Massadio Haidara is a question mark.
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It leaves interim manager John Carver ridiculously short of options and, with Coloccini's red card in the 3-0 loss to Everton, in a bit of a pickle, as he may struggle to produce even two naturalised centre-backs for whatever the formation is.
Mike Williamson will partner someone—Lubomir Satka? he was rested for the last U21 game—with Jack Colback and Moussa Sissoko just ahead. Carver has shown preference to Remy Cabella and he should begin in the No. 10 role.
With Cisse suspended for spitting at Jonny Evans, Ayoze Perez will battle Emmanuel Riviere for the starting striker's role. If the latter gets the nod, the former will likely play wide.
Arsenal News
The Gunners should stick to the tried and trusted 4-3-3 now, with Francis Coquelin holding in midfield and Aaron Ramsey pushing to be inserted back into the starting XI. It creates a dilemma, as both Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil are in great form and should be starting, too.
It would not surprise to see Ozil start wide with Cazorla and Ramsey in the centre, and with Olivier Giroud up top again. That leaves Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott in the cold as Alexis Sanchez is the favourite to play in the remaining spot.
Arsene Wenger is still without Abou Diaby, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Debuchy. Nacho Monreal should beat Kieran Gibbs to a starting role, and Hector Bellerin should beat Calum Chambers on the opposite flank.
Key Point 1: Motivation
At times it's not solely about tactics, but motivation. Newcastle's season is o-v-e-r; with 35 points already achieved, they're not troubling the relegation zone and they're not pushing for a European spot. That was evident in the 3-0 loss to Everton, with very few players grafting for the team and very little cohesion among the XI.
In particular, you'll see a lack of ideas or relationships up front, and with Cisse out, scoring goals is once again a problem. Riviere is rash with his running and often makes the wrong choice, and he struggles to keep his composure in the final third. He's basically just really quick.
The midfield looks a problem area, too, with Colback now frequently abandoned by Sissoko as the Frenchman charges off on a highlight-reel run leaving his colleague unprotected. The defence could start with just two recognised senior players in Williamson and Daryl Janmaat.
Key Point 2: Coquelin vs. Sissoko
This game should be pretty simple for Arsenal; they are by far the better side, have the motivation to win and are clicking nicely from an attacking perspective.
It's when games are prefaced with these introductions that fans of the favoured club start to worry: It feels almost too much of a lock to win, and with the Gunners, there's always a looming propensity to slip up in the most disappointing of circumstances.
The one area, on paper, where Newcastle may be able to hurt Arsenal is via Sissoko's barnstorming runs. If he can tear Chelsea a new one, he can trouble any system in the world.
The 4-3-3 must be chosen over the 4-2-3-1 to allow Coquelin to provide stability to the formation and take on Sissoko's runs one vs. one across the pitch. It should be a roaming battle between them, with both Frenchmen clashing all over.
It's not quite Roy Keane vs. Patrick Vieira, but it will be old-school and hard-hitting. If Coquelin can stymie his compatriot, the Magies' only hope will be a 0-0 draw.
