Arsenal vs Newcastle: What Loss to Magpies Could Tell You About Arteta’s Gunners?

Arteta’s Arsenal: The Becoming of “The Bottler”

Mikel Arteta may have just given a name to something fans, pundits, and critics have been circling on for a while. It’s the belief that Arsenal, or Arteta’s pet project to be specific, lacks a winning DNA that has kept and still keeps the Gunners from glory. Fans call it bottling.

The English football predictions are still undecided on who will win the Premier League title. But Arsenal’s fall to 2nd on Matchday 33 might’ve already sealed their fate. To capture just how badly Arteta might’ve bottled it, Arsenal were top of the league since August, or about 200 whole days.

And after bottling it with a 2nd place finish for four years straight, it’s become “a thing” to expect from the club itself.

Fans, for the past three years, could visit the best betting sites and bet on Arsenal to come second with a 100% win rate. It's definitely becoming an embarrassment to supporters who’ve waited on Arteta to win his first major title since 2020 (over half a decade).

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Our Arsenal vs Newcastle prediction

Not Over Yet: Gunners Still Standing!

Arsenal may be facing hell, but it’s pure heaven for the world of football. The race that seemed won and done has now reached a pure standstill. Arsenal and Man City are on the exact same points: 70.

Both teams have already met twice, meaning a perfect final run of five wins in their last five games will see the Premier League decided on goal difference for just the second time ever.

And, as if almost poetic, both the Gunners and Citizens share exactly the same goal difference today (37). Meanwhile, it was Man City who won the only ever league title (PL era) by goal difference, edging out Man United on the final day.

But a final-day decider requires Arsenal to win all remaining five games, something they’re well aware that rivals Man City historically have no problem doing.

That means beating Newcastle by 17:30 today. Check out our Arsenal vs Newcastle prediction.

Bukayo Saka: The Man With The Way

Arsenal have operated at a level this season that makes it difficult to pinpoint their outright best players. All 11 men, or at least all 11 roles, have been filled with great exceptions.

But there is one man whose efforts against Newcastle might just boil down to, and that man is Bukayo Saka, the Gunners' treasured “Star Boy”.

In fact, in the last four games at the Emirates in which Arsenal beat Newcastle, Bukayo scored in three of those wins.

It’s not just a beautiful coincidence or a world-class player (Saka) on form. A superstar performance from your forwards is often what Newcastle requires to be beaten. Unfortunately for Arteta, Saka remains questionable for Newcastle despite training with the team.

Thankfully, most of the players who secured the earlier 2-1 for Arsenal over The Magpies are fit and ready to play. How the Gunners can set up without Saka:

• Noni Madueke will occupy the right wing in Saka’s absence. He isn’t a numbers man, but Noni’s pace and elite dribbling could be key to unlocking an air-tight Newcastle defence.
• If picking apart won’t work, then expect a flurry of set pieces, which was exactly how both goals came in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Newcastle earlier this season.
• Martin Odegaard, who came off the bench in the 82nd minute to gift Gabriel the 96th-minute winner over Newcastle, should start today alongside Declan Rice, who assisted the first.

Even without the man, there is still a way for Arsenal. The question is the mindset. It’s the final grinding that separates good managers from the best of the best, like Pep Guardiola and Klopp’s Liverpool. Beating Newcastle today is more than a thing of chance for the Gunners. Failing to do so may just reveal something deeper about about Arteta’s Arsenal.

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