Last weekend, Arsenal were accused of not taking the handbrake off. Gabriel Martinelli was the hero as he rescued the Gunners a late 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
But, despite a positive result, the performance was not encouraging. Mikel Arteta’s men set up with a midfield three of Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice, something that meant the tactical make-up of the team was rather one-dimensional.
Against Newcastle United, however, the handbrake was well and truly off and they got what they deserved at St James’ Park, winning 2-1 in last-gasp fashion.
It was a story of three headers. Nick Woltemade, the Toon’s giant new striker, scored the opener but late strikes from Merino and Gabriel Magalhaes ensured that the north Londoners left a famously tough ground with all three points.
That victory means that Arteta’s side move within two points of Liverpool who lost to Crystal Palace in late fashion 24 hours earlier.
Arteta's tactical tweaks make the difference
Last weekend, the Gunners dominated the ball, boasting over 60% of possession, but they struggled to create clear-cut chances against a resolute Man City backline.
Truth be told, chance creation has been one of the key issues for Arteta’s men but the team selection a week on certainly helped them in their quest to score more goals.
While it may have taken 84 minutes until Merino headed home having been introduced as a substitute, it was remarkable that Arsenal hadn’t scored before then.
Whatever you think of Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty decision, the visitors at St James’ could and perhaps should have scored three or four.
Eberechi Eze was denied superbly well, not once but twice, by Nick Pope in the first half who made excellent saves to his right and left-hand sides. Pope was again alert to keep a close-range header from Jurrien Timber at bay in the second half too.
Eze scored in midweek but this was perhaps his most telling performance in an Arsenal shirt since signing from Crystal Palace.
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With Martin Odegaard on the bench having only just returned from injury and Ethan Nwaneri omitted from the matchday squad, the Englishman featured in midfield and made a fantastic contribution.
Eze could have scored a couple and he did only generate one key pass but the pockets of space he was getting into and his willingness to shoot were a huge positive for Arteta. The fact he was playing close to Gyokeres also made a big difference.
Whether or not the summer arrival continues to play ahead of Odegaard remains to be seen but in the last two games, he’s certainly staked a claim to do so.
Regardless of Arteta’s most dynamic midfield selection on Sunday, it was still set plays that came to Arsenal’s rescue.
Rice’s inswinging ball from a short corner on the left found Merino who flicked a deft header beyond Pope.
The winning goal certainly wasn’t deft. Gabriel, who was weak and embarrassing for Woltemade’s opener, throwing himself to the floor, certainly didn’t shy away this time.
The Brazilian lept high among a sea of bodies in the 96th minute to meet Odegaard’s corner and head home in dramatic fashion, sparking wild celebrations among the Arsenal players.
FFC’s stat of the day: In the last three seasons, Gabriel has scored eight goals in the Premier League. No centre back has managed more.
What a moment this was for the Gunners but if we’re being brutal in our assessments of proceedings, they do need to make improvements.
That begins with one of their players of the season so far.
Arsenal's Player of the Season could be dropped
This has been a very difficult start to the new campaign for the Londoners who have been to Old Trafford, Anfield, St James’ Park and played Manchester City in their opening six league matches of the campaign.
The performances have been strong but they have not been without their issues. Gyokeres continues to float in and out of games, while Leandro Trossard hasn’t done a lot to convince while starting as a left winger in the last two matches.
In defence, however, it could be time for a change, most notably at left-back. Considering his injury history, Riccardo Calafiori has done well to play six league matches on the bounce.
In fairness, he’s had a really strong opening few weeks of the season, scoring against Manchester United on the opening weekend and registering two assists in the 5-0 win over Leeds United.
So good has the Italian been that one Gunners content creator has even described him as “Arsenal’s Player of the Season so far”. Fair words, really.
Yet, against Newcastle, Calafiori perhaps dropped his worst performance of the season to date, struggling at the back and failing to offer much going forward.
It said a lot that Arteta chose to bring him off at 70 minutes, instead preferring Myles Lewis-Skelly, a player who is certainly more composed in possession. That’s a change that could well be beneficial against West Ham United next week when Arteta’s side will be expected to create plenty of chances.
Lewis-Skelly coming into the team would certainly help with that. The clip below demonstrates his ability to carve open a team with his brilliant vision and passing.
While Cafafiori often resembles something of a raging bull in the final third, he’s not quite as precise. That precision would have been ideal against Newcastle on Sunday.
Minutes played
70
Touches
43
Accurate passes
22/27 (81%)
Key passes
1
Shots
2
Accurate crosses
1
Long balls completed
0/3
Duels won
0/2
Tackles
0
Interceptions
0
Fouls
1
Indeed, Calafiori only managed one key pass and had two shots off target. From a defensive point of view, he failed to win a single duel and only made one tackle.
While it wasn’t a dreadful display from the Italy international, it showed his limitations in particular game states. Lewis-Skelly, on the other hand, is particularly strong in the duel.
Last term, the teenager was only dribbled past once in the Premier League, the best record of any player to have made at least 15 starts. He also won six duels per 90 minutes, the most of any player in the league.
As a result, there’s certainly a case to be made for Calafiori to be benched for the visit of the Hammers next week.