OPINION
Newcastle United were no doubt bracing themselves to face an Arsenal side who have looked lethal going forward this season and Rafa Benitez would have learnt several things from his side’s performance on Saturday.
The Magpies and the Gunners went into the half-time break with the scoreline 0-0 and the Spanish manager would have noticed that several of his players upped their game to make that happen.
However Benitez no doubt would have been disappointed by his side’s second display as they quickly fell behind to a Granit Xhaka goal which gave them confidence to go on and ensure they took all three points.
Nothing But Newcastle has comprised a list of three things that the Magpies would have learned from their performance against the Gunners after losing to them 2-1.
Diame finally turns up
Mohamed Diame finally turned up for his side this season as the midfielder actually looked like being the useful player he seemed to be last season. The 31-year-old, who earns £45,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), bossed the midfield for his side in the first-half and was arguably the reason why the Gunners weren’t able to steamroll through the middle of Benitez’s side. The only issue is when the midfielder lost his way in the second-half that’s when the Gunners were able to show their class. Hopefully the experienced midfielder is able to continue performing to this level as he can be a very useful player given his defensive strengths and experience. Diame will soon be boosted by the return of Jonjo Shelvey, who started the game against the Gunners on the bench after a recent injury, as the pair seem to have fantastic understanding in the middle of the park so hopefully that will aid his cause.
Matt Ritchie is vital to the Magpies success
Matt Ritchie is criminally underrated by many as there are few that are able to deliver the amount of top-quality crosses that he can. The winger was on tip-top form against the Gunners, especially in the first-half, as he constantly whipped the ball into the box in a bid to give teammates chances to turn home. While Ritchie’s efforts didn’t lead to his side scoring, which wasn’t his fault, it won’t be long to before someone starts capitalising on his excellent services. For example Salomon Rondon will no doubt flourish from playing consistently with Ritchie as there no one he won’t be able to convert the chances the winger puts on a plate. Therefore it’s easy to tell that based on his recent display the winger, who earns £45,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac) will prove to be key to his side’s success.
If Perez could just be more clinical
Oh Ayoze Perez, every season the Magpies hold out hope that he locates his scoring boots but it never turns out to be the case. The attacker may have ended his 2017/18 campaign with a flurry of goals at the end the season to make him the club’s topscorer but that was more of a reflection of how poor Benitez’s side were upfront. Perez had a lot of the ball and worked really hard for his team against the Gunners but he just ends up letting his team down with his final product whether that ends up being a pass or a shot. It’s hard to know whether Perez will ever improve this side of his game or become a consistent performer and that really should worry him as Benitez may value the player’s work ethic but given an opportunity to replace him, he’ll likely take it.
