Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Newcastle United: 5 things we learned from

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: Petr Cech of Arsenal shows appreciation to the fans after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: Petr Cech of Arsenal shows appreciation to the fans after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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COLOGNE, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 23: Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal in action during the UEFA Europa League group H match between 1. FC Koeln and Arsenal FC at RheinEnergieStadion on November 23, 2017 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
COLOGNE, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 23: Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal in action during the UEFA Europa League group H match between 1. FC Koeln and Arsenal FC at RheinEnergieStadion on November 23, 2017 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) /

3. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is a real prospect

It was somewhat surprising to see Ainsley Maitland-Niles make his debut in midweek against West Ham United. Sead Kolasinac had been an extremely reliable and consistent performer, and Arsene Wenger had made no comments about the potential switch.

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Having said that, given that he has been wanting to rotate those that have played more minutes this season, it was an understandable decision. The same cannot be said for his starting against Newcastle. No one expected that. Thankfully for Maitland-Niles, it was a rare opportunity that he took full advantage of.

Although he is a natural central midfielder, what immediately leaps out when watching him is his athletic ability. He bounds up and down the left flank relentlessly, showing real pace, both with the ball in attacking areas and when defending to recover his position. He was one of Arsenal’s most potent threats in the first-half, using Alexis Sanchez’s tendency to drift inside to exploit the overlapping wide channel.

And then, in the second half, he showed his defensive acumen. Intelligent management of the game, not allowing himself to be caught too far forwards, he was strong in the tackle, stuck tight to opposing attackers, and was dutiful in his task. Maitland-Niles is a real prospect. Let’s hope that he gets more Premier League game time during the remainder of the year.