Analysis: Newcastle

Newcastle set up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Mo Diame and Isaac Hayden operating centrally. Matt Ritchie and Jack Murphy played in the wide areas, while Joselu and Ayoze Perez, who sat a little deeper, formed the front two.

Rafael Benitez’s players saw very little of the ball, and the majority of the time they spent in possession was of a transitional nature, rather than consisting of any quality build-up. They displayed a desire to play forward early upon regaining possession – preferably within the first two passes – and attempted to hit Arsenal on the counter-attack. Additionally, they would play the ball into Joselu or Perez’s feet to allow the pair to set the ball back to a forward-facing midfielder, who would then play a penetrative pass for a third-man run. A lack of speed and poor technical quality meant that this strategy never really threatened the Arsenal back line, though, with the ball either getting stuck under the setter’s feet or the ensuing pass proving inaccurate.

They operated in the same 4-4-2 formation out of possession, which simplified their transition from attack to defence. The back four were kept occupied by three Arsenal forwards, so they remained narrow while the whole team attempted to protect the central areas. For the most part, they set up in a 4-4-2 mid-block, waiting patiently for specific moments to apply pressure.

When the ball was in a central area in front of the block, the Newcastle players would allow their opponents to have the ball. As soon as the ball was played into a half-space or wide area, the near-side forward and the wide midfielder would press in front to prevent any forward options. If the ball went into the feet of an attacking midfielder, such as Mesut Ozil or Granit Xhaka, the central midfielder on that side (Hayden or Diame) would press to prevent him from turning.

The hosts would also aggressively press Arsenal when they were building out from goalkeeper Petr Cech, and try to regain possession as close to their opponents’ goal as possible. If the press was broken and the distance from the nearest man to the ball was too far, they would retreat into their mid-block.

It was an improved performance from the Magpies, with Arsenal limited to only two shots on target over the 90 minutes. Unfortunately, both of these efforts found the back of the net, leaving Benitez and his players with only one point on the board after five matches.