How Eddie Howe schooled Mikel Arteta (once again) – Official Premier League analysis

2 weeks ago 12

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Very interesting analysis from the official Premier League site, detailing how Eddie Howe schooled Mikel Arteta on Saturday.

Not for the first time at St James’ Park.

This is now three out of four times on Tyneside that Eddie Howe has schooled Mikel Arteta, the exception was towards the end of the 2022/23 Premier League season,, when all the luck went Arsenal’s way.

Twelve months ago, Nick Pope didn’t have a single serious save to make, as Anthony Gordon got the deserved winner at the other end of the pitch. Arsenal registered one effort on target in November 2023 but that was a tame ‘pass back’ level effort straight at the Newcastle keeper.

Fast forward to November 2024 and it was once again only a single Arsenal effort on target (four for Newcastle United) and I can’t even think of what this ‘effort’ on target was this time from the Gunners.

A very good read below, as the official Premier League site outlines exactly how Eddie Howe schooled Mikel Arteta on this latest occasion…

Official Premier League site analysis of Newcastle 1 Arsenal 0 – 5 November 2024:

“We deserved to lose today.”

Mikel Arteta’s honest assessment marks a change in tone for Arsenal, who are in danger of falling out of the title race altogether after a third straight game without a Premier League victory.

And he was right. Eddie Howe knew to sit in a compressed 4-4-2 formation that packed the middle with bodies and doubled up on Bukayo Saka. He knew it would limit an Arsenal side badly struggling for creativity at the moment.

Arteta’s 4-4-2 just isn’t working. Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard are becoming easy to track as they dove-tail dropping off into the No 10 space, while the midfield partnership of Declan Rice and Mikel Merino looks too flat.

But most of all the shape is simply too square and too boxy, compared to the triangles created when Rice and Martin Odegaard play as dual No 8s.

On Saturday, the Arsenal players seemed perpetually square on to one another, as you can see below, allowing the ultra-compact Newcastle United block to hold firm.

They looked risk-averse and caged in, short of ideas aside from giving the ball to Saka; a problem thrown into relief by the clever positional switches between Joelinton and Joe Willock on Newcastle’s left.

Arteta’s side had an Expected Goals (xG) score of just 1.1, but what’s worse is it was their fifth-highest total of the season so far.

The manager needs to make a drastic tactical change – or Arsenal won’t challenge for the title.

Newcastle 1 Arsenal 0 – Saturday 2 November 12.30pm

(Stats via BBC Sport)

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Isak 12

Arsenal:

Possession was Newcastle 36% Arsenal 64%

Total shots were Newcastle 9 Arsenal 10

Shots on target were Newcastle 4 Arsenal 1

Corners were Newcastle 4 Arsenal 6