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 Tuesday
13 December 2005 By Howaythetoon Saturday's 1-0 victory over Arsenal was, to use an old cliche, a game of two halfs and showcased the best and worst of both Newcastle United and the Gunners. Moreover this match was the ultimate advert for the Premiership as the two contrasting elements that make up our game clashed in a battle royale; brains vs brawn. Thankfully for Newcastle, our way won the day. Yet for the first 45 minutes it looked like Arsenal's style and panache was going to overrun a confidence shot Magpies side. Despite our spirited start, pressing and closing down quickly, the away side soon started to pick us off with ease, settling into that rhythm of theirs like a one-size-fits-all glove. After the 10 minute mark we just dropped off, sat deep and handed the initiative to them. Something you just can't do against a side as slick as they are. Why we lowered our tempo which was quite high in the opening minutes, I don't know. Perhaps we showed them too much respect or were worried about the ball over the top, but what I do know is that by doing so, we conceded ground to them. And we were very nearly punished because of it... but for a magnificent save by that man Shay Given! Make no mistake about it, had Thierry Henry's effort gone in, Arsenal most certainly would have went back to Highbury with all three points. But it didn't go in, Arsenal failed to take advantage of our own self inflicted weaknesses, while we brutally punished theirs. Where the game was won for Newcastle Two things changed the game in our favour. Two things that for me, were pivotal factors in our victory more than any other element or facet of the game and our performance. 1 - Pushing up field a further 30-yards after the break as opposed to playing deep within our own half during the first period. 2 - Width in the shape of Nobby Solano who stayed out wide in the second half as opposed to playing more central as he did for the entire first 45. During the first-half Newcastle defended deep, very deep with the defence basically operating just outside of Shay's penalty box and the midfield not that far away a further 10-yards or so in front of them. While up top Alan Shearer was stuck in the centre-circle and Michael Owen, the one man Arsenal feared the most and our main outlet, was left isolated up against 4 big, pacey, powerful central defenders. Food and drink for Sol Campbell and Co. who had a sweat free time of it for 45 full minutes. We were basically shooting ourselves in the foot once again in that agonising way of ours by playing so deep and playing without any real width on the right as Nobby pushed infield to supplement Scott Parker and Amdy Faye in the centre. And by playing so deep this just allowed Arsenal to push up themselves and gave the Gunners a licence to be expressive on the ball. Which they did with aplomb at one stage, making 30 or so consecutive passes in succession while we chased shadows. As a result of the congested midfield through our narrow width we saw the likes of Parker, Faye and Nobby grouped together in a tight, enclosed area of the pitch which meant our own possession was skewered sideways or backwards and not forwards to that man Owen. And when it did go his way, he had to crane his neck just to get a glimpse of it. Newcastle were suffocating under our own blanket of cautious, negative, long ball football and gave Arsenal the incentive to come out and attack us, and attack us they did; by getting a grip on midfield they swept the ball forwards and sideways, over the top, through the channels and into gaps, with a brand of football I can only describe as mouth watering. All because we were defending deep and playing without an outlet on the right. With no outlet on the right, we would look to the left to play the ball, and while this saw Shola Ameobi getting into the game and seeing plenty of the ball, he too had nowhere to turn to. With Owen isolated up front all alone and Shearer stuck in the centre-circle pottering about, the Geordie striker-cum-winger had no option but to either play the ball back to Robbie Elliott who would launch it long to no-man's land or back infield to Parker and Co. who in turn would pass it back towards the defence, who, yep you guessed it, launched it long to no-man's land. A perpetual cycle of nothing football. We were going nowhere with or without the ball while Arsenal were camped in our half, their defence pushed right up, and their forward line weaving pretty intricate patterns. Only Shay's left hand saved us from going behind, that and good positional sense from Peter Ramage, Elliott and Jean-Alain Boumsong, blocked clearances, one passes too many by the away side and their lack of threat down our right. Noticeable due to the fact that Lauren isn't a left-back and didn't look comfortable in either the attacking third or on the left-flank of their defence all game. As it turned out our deep defensive line proved to be a good exorcise in the art of defending which we did very well but it also hamstrung us as an attacking force and it's a dangerous game to play, especially against a fluent, incisive side like Arsenal. Had we continued to play like that in the second half we would have succumbed to pressure or conceded due to a lapse in concentration or from an individual error like we did at Goodison, Stamford Bridge and the JJB Stadium to name a few grounds where we have shot ourselves in the foot. Luckily we did the exact opposite in the second-half and actually forced Arsenal into adopting the shape we held in the first 45. We spun the table completely on them and it was they who held a deep line and withdrew their width. Admittedly they weren't helped by Gilberto Silva's sending-off, but by that stage we were well on top anyway and I don't believe it played any significance in the end result. If anything, one less body in midfield gave the Gunner's some breathing space when they themselves were on the ball... which wasn't very often in the second period thanks to United's new found game plan. Whether our second half role reversal was down to a tactical change by Graeme Souness at half-time, I'm not convinced. For me, the high tempo we started with in the second half was what forced Arsenal back and gave us the confidence to play a further 30-yards up field. And with Parker and Faye advanced and getting on the ball more and more, Nobby's intelligence saw to it that he would have to hug the touch line to give his fellow midfielders an outlet. Which he did. Still, Souness must have done something right or said something meaningful during the interval because Newcastle were a different animal in the second half completely and by playing so advanced up the field and with width, we gave ourselves a great platform to go on and cause Arsenal some real problems. Problems from which we won the game from. And unlike the away side, we made the most of our chances, with Nobby coming OFF the RIGHT wing to curl a delightful shot into the net with the outside of his right-foot, a richly deserved winning goal. By NOT playing so deep, we challenged Arsenal to reassess their own game and forced them to concede ground to us. And by playing with width on the right, suddenly Arsenal who were forced into a narrow three in midfield, were stretched and as a result Ameobi came more and more into the game and Ramage also got forward, linking up with Nobby to good effect. These were important areas of the pitch, the right and the left side. With Lauren playing out of position, we took advantage of that and started to ask questions of the Cameroon international. Questions he had no answers to with the trio of Shearer, Nobby and Owen all getting joy down that flank. On the other flank, Ameobi's physical presence and unpredictability caused Toure all kinds of problems and with Owen having someone to feed off and link up with, this dragged Arsenal's centre-backs out of position from which both Shearer and Parker exploited to the full. Parker getting two shots away having broken into attacking positions and Shearer seeing himself marked by the considerable slight frame of Fabregas. Food and drink for the No.9. Back in our own half, in defence, for once Shay had room in front of him as well as alternative options and used the long ball much less, often opting to play it to Ramage or Elliott instead. While the two centre-backs pushed up and squeezed Henry and Van Persie back into midfield, some 40-50 yards away from Given's goal. The result? Not one shot in vain from Arsenal in the second half nor any cause for alarm in the United rearguard. This is the way to play Graeme, pushed up and with width, not deep and narrow with no attacking options. We must stop defending so deep and playing so narrow if we are to build on these three points. If we revert back to type, West Ham and Liverpool, our two next opponents, won't be so fussy in front of goal as Arsenal clearly were. You're call Graeme. Learn from this match and use this as a springboard for the second half of the season. If not, it's your head that rolls. Where the game was lost for Arsenal For me, Arsenal lost the game in the first-half by being overly fussy in the final third. When a strike on goal was needed, they opted to play another unnecessary pass, when in a crossing position, they opted to come infield to find a midfielder, allowing Newcastle to get into good defensive positions. It is this over cooking of the ball that is failing what is a top quality football team. Arsenal are also one-dimensional in that they can only play one way and when that way of playing is nullified, they look lost and play as individuals. Considering the quality of their individuals such as Henry, a flicker of brilliance from the Frenchman for example has gotten them out of trouble many a time, but teams are wising up to the Gunners now and if you can push Henry centrally and deep, he's ineffective and will become a passenger, as he was in this match. When you rely so heavily on such a player like him, always looking for him to bail you out, that's a dangerous mindset to have at a football club as it gives others an excuse to shift the responsibility. We should know, we've suffered with that through the years ourselves, with Shearer constantly relied on to bail us out time and time again. You get the impression Arsene Wenger is cutting off his nose to spite his face in stubbornly sticking to his footballing philosophies and who can blame the Frenchman given their successes over the years but if you stand still in football, you'll be left behind. And Arsenal for me, are being overtaken by lesser talented sides such as Chelsea and Liverpool, but whom have the right balance between flair and grit, style and substance. Arsenal have plenty of style, but they are soft as shite. © Howaythetoon
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NUFC 1-0 Arsenal: Where The Game Was Won & Lost - Match Analysis
