Newcastle United 0-2 Arsenal (07/05/2023)

[Stottie]

Based on form, both Isak and Wilson deserved to play and it could have been a good move with a reserve CH playing and Gabriel supposedly touch and go. As it happened their CHs played well and Wilson didn't manage to bully them as he does so many others. He was great against Arsenal in the same fixture last year.

 

Howe said he couldn't give Maxi more than 15-20, but had he come on when Almiron did at 0-1, we might have got something from the game, especially had it been Maxi for Wilson with Murphy left on.

 

 

[80]

4 hours ago, Rich said:

 

Concern over Zinchenko and Willock not being the most diligent defensively at times?

You're probably right, but I wondered if it was to maximise Willock and Isak's relationship also.

2 hours ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

I think we should see Wilson-Isak again in certain games but yesterday wasn't it. It was the right intent but not a particularly strategic move. The beauty of Isak is that yes, he's class, but you can move him about to suit the game so easily as long as you have good plans B & C.

I was hoping/imagining more of a 4-4-1-1...

[ohmelads]

Not so sure I agree with the view that starting Isak and Wilson was a mistake. Arsenal are still a better side than us at their best, and they played well. They knew they had to. But the game was incredibly tight and we went toe to toe with them. We created more than enough to win the game; we had more possession, more shots and more corners than them and should certainly have scored a couple. We've hit the woodwork twice and been denied by a save of the season contender, but lost to a long ranger and a pretty fluky own goal. They missed big chances aye but so have we. Who knows what a different lineup would have achieved, but you have to consider who we were up against: a team that could still win the title. A different lineup could also have fared worse and been actually outplayed, which ours wasn't. We were just a bit unlucky on the day.

[Ronaldo]

8 minutes ago, ohmelads said:

Not so sure I agree with the view that starting Isak and Wilson was a mistake. Arsenal are still a better side than us at their best, and they played well. They knew they had to. But the game was incredibly tight and we went toe to toe with them. We created more than enough to win the game; we had more possession, more shots and more corners than them and should certainly have scored a couple. We've hit the woodwork twice and been denied by a save of the season contender, but lost to a long ranger and a pretty fluky own goal. They missed big chances aye but so have we. Who knows what a different lineup would have achieved, but you have to consider who we were up against: a team that could still win the title. A different lineup could also have fared worse and been actually outplayed, which ours wasn't. We were just a bit unlucky on the day.

Neither Isak nor Wilson were able to contribute anything like their best, though. Especially in the first half when Isak was completely isolated and Callum didn’t get a sniff.

[Mike]

Such a frustrating loss especially having to read all the praise for them. Silver lining is that a bad game keeps us under the radar a bit longer. The teams that we've lost to make us look like a paper tiger, and that's just fine.

 

Would have preferred to fucking batter them, mind. Cunts.

[Coffee_Johnny]

Stats don’t make it look like a bad game for us. We were beaten by the better side, overall this season, but made a decent fist of it. Let’s chase these down next season. 

[wormy]

Probably reading way too much in to it but I wonder if Howe would've succumbed to the Isak/Wilson experiment if it wasn't considered the closest thing to a 'free hit' of our final five. 

[TRon]

1 hour ago, ohmelads said:

Not so sure I agree with the view that starting Isak and Wilson was a mistake. Arsenal are still a better side than us at their best, and they played well. They knew they had to. But the game was incredibly tight and we went toe to toe with them. We created more than enough to win the game; we had more possession, more shots and more corners than them and should certainly have scored a couple. We've hit the woodwork twice and been denied by a save of the season contender, but lost to a long ranger and a pretty fluky own goal. They missed big chances aye but so have we. Who knows what a different lineup would have achieved, but you have to consider who we were up against: a team that could still win the title. A different lineup could also have fared worse and been actually outplayed, which ours wasn't. We were just a bit unlucky on the day.

 

 

It's all hindsight though. Everyone's saying how much we missed Longstaff, and there's probably some truth in it, but we won 6-1 against Spurs and 4-1 at Everton without him. Arsenal are title contenders for a reason, they played some really good stuff yesterday, I just think we need purples all over the pitch to match them blow for blow.

[madras]

Just now, TRon said:

 

 

It's all hindsight though. Everyone's saying how much we missed Longstaff, and there's probably some truth in it, but we won 6-1 against Spurs and 4-1 at Everton without him. Arsenal are title contenders for a reason, they played some really good stuff yesterday, I just think we need purples all over the pitch to match them blow for blow.

He played in both.

[TRon]

2 minutes ago, madras said:

He played in both.

 

We definitely needed Longstaff in there then.

[madras]

Just now, TRon said:

 

We definitely needed Longstaff in there then.

[Likelylad]

I’m seriously bored already of this discourse that Arsenal were absolutely amazing. They were decent but so were we. One took their chances and we didn’t.

 

I think the first goal was poor from Pope and the second was also rather flukey. Yet Twitter is rife with Arsenal arse licking. 
Am I missing something? 
 

[The Prophet]

2 minutes ago, Likelylad said:

I’m seriously bored already of this discourse that Arsenal were absolutely amazing. They were decent but so were we. One took their chances and we didn’t.

 

I think the first goal was poor from Pope and the second was also rather flukey. Yet Twitter is rife with Arsenal arse licking. 
Am I missing something? 
 

 

They were decent like and the better of the two sides overall. 

[Coffee_Johnny]

1 minute ago, Likelylad said:

I’m seriously bored already of this discourse that Arsenal were absolutely amazing. They were decent but so were we. One took their chances and we didn’t.

 

I think the first goal was poor from Pope and the second was also rather flukey. Yet Twitter is rife with Arsenal arse licking. 
Am I missing something? 
 

I think it is just the context of their recent dropping of points and what happened last year. Two draws away to Liverpool and West Ham; spanked by Man City. Not in it here last season; a defeat which cost them much more than yesterday will cost us. Intimating away atmosphere against an in-form (rightly) third placed team, and they turned-up and played very well. Fair play to them and let’s see how it goes next year. 

[timeEd32]

5 hours ago, KaKa said:

Really great back and forth game yesterday, where the first goal was absolutely crucial, and they managed to get it unfortunately. Really could have gone either way. 

 

So disappointing seeing how poorly people deal with results not going our way still, even though we were going toe to toe with a team that has been top of the league the majority of the season.

 

Never give the other team any credit whatsoever and instead start over reacting to the performances of every player in the Newcastle team. It's truly unbelievable how awful attitudes are whenever everything isn't going perfect and we aren't running over teams.

 

Are we just supposed to be excellent all the time now and never lose a game? Seriously, what is this? When does that ever happen in any sport? As much as folks might complain about other clubs fans, it's just not valid, because most fans are really just as insufferable in every way.

 

 

 

 

Nailed it. The general opinion of some sound Arsenal fans is that's probably the best away performance they've put in all season (Spurs the other very good one). They are very proud of how their team did yesterday and think we were tough opposition. That makes it even better that there are a lot of things we could have done better and the fact the game could have turned on a handful of moments. 

[Kanj]

My sound Arsenal mate was scared shitless after that early onslaught, legitimately assumed it was game over and they'd crumble. Felt they got heck amount of luck to be 0-0 and score from a chance that usually is wide or saved. He mentioned similar to the above, one of their best away performances of the season and even the own goal was a bit lucky for them. He watches us quite a bit, feels we'll make CL assuming we don't just turn to shit over night. 

[Mike]

54 minutes ago, Likelylad said:

I’m seriously bored already of this discourse that Arsenal were absolutely amazing. They were decent but so were we. One took their chances and we didn’t.

 

I think the first goal was poor from Pope and the second was also rather flukey. Yet Twitter is rife with Arsenal arse licking. 
Am I missing something? 
 

 

Nope. Has me properly wound up as well.

[timeEd32]

3 minutes ago, Mike said:

 

Nope. Has me properly wound up as well.

 

Over the last two years they've more often than not lost big games against good sides. Take it as a compliment.

[Mike]

Just now, timeEd32 said:

 

Over the last two years they've more often than not lost big games against good sides. Take it as a compliment.

 

Honestly would have been angry regardless today. If we'd hammered them it qould have been about them having an off day.

[Mike]

Just cannot wait to rule this league with an iron fist.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

The caption for the Gary Neville show on YouTube was ‘Jorginho played like Scholes’

[TRon]

1 hour ago, Likelylad said:

I’m seriously bored already of this discourse that Arsenal were absolutely amazing. They were decent but so were we. One took their chances and we didn’t.

 

I think the first goal was poor from Pope and the second was also rather flukey. Yet Twitter is rife with Arsenal arse licking. 
Am I missing something? 
 

 

It's actually a compliment to us that we almost matched them tbh, when you consider what they've spent compared to us in recent years. When we went to the Emirates, even though we came away with a draw, at times in the first half it felt like they were playing a different game.

 

This time we more or less matched them for possession, but it's still a good benchmark on some areas we could improve. I don't see that as arse licking, just a spotlight on what we have to do to close the gap, and it's not that much of a gap these days.

[Teslact]

Just wondering, is it in the rule book that the keeper gets the ball if VAR overturns the penalty? The ball was booted up to Pope (and I think Willock was running back to then get it back from him), but Ramsdale was given a goal kick.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Likelylad said:

I’m seriously bored already of this discourse that Arsenal were absolutely amazing. They were decent but so were we. One took their chances and we didn’t.

 

I think the first goal was poor from Pope and the second was also rather flukey. Yet Twitter is rife with Arsenal arse licking. 
Am I missing something? 
 

 

They definitely weren't amazing, they were slightly the better team on the day. Was similar to the Liverpool home game where we had the better start then they got the opener at the crucial time to take the sting out of us. Last 3 head-to-heads have shown we can have a go at them and win, dig in when it's not going to plan and slog it out for a draw, and yesterday could go either way. 

[Jaqen]

Missed the game so catching up on highlights now. Kind of hard to work out how well we played from them though, looks like it could have been another 4-4 on a different day. Still confident we'll get top 4 anything in this one would have just been a bonus.