Arsenal Vs Newcastle United: The worry of rotation

Arsene Wenger implemented a heavy dose of rotation in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Newcastle United. While I agree with it, this is the worry for Arsenal: A loss of momentum.

It is plain to see that the sole priority of the remaining games of this season for Arsenal is the Europa League. I am sure that if you offered Arsene Wenger the Europa League trophy with a loss in every remaining Premier League game, he would take it. And so, every decision that is made should be geared towards success in Europe.

Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast right here

That is why a heavy rotation policy has been taken in the league. The likes of Laurent Koscielny, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere are Mesut Ozil are no longer even in the squad, such is Wenger’s desire to rest them for the Europa League.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

However, rotation does not come without risk. Even if the result in the league does not necessarily matter, there is still a ramification of poor performances. And Wenger, thankfully, is acutely aware of the mental effects that losses like Sunday’s can have on his players. Look how he speaks in his post-match interview. All of these following quotes have been taken from this summary of his comments in The Guardian.

Firstly, he admits that the defeat is ‘disappointing’:

"“It’s very harsh to swallow a defeat like this. It’s very disappointing.”"

Then he concedes that getting into a ‘negative spiral’ can derail a team for some time, Arsenal have shown on a number of occasions in the past:

"“Once you’re in a negative spiral like this it is very hard to get out of.”"

And finally, and perhaps most concerningly, Wenger admits two worries with the result and performance:

"“But losing like this is a worry character-wise. Our attitude today was spot on but I have to be realistic enough to say that maybe our balance offensively and defensively doesn’t work.”"

In summary, Wenger is conceding that Arsenal are in danger of losing the momentum that they had steadily built over the past few weeks with a series of good performances, especially in Europe. While there had been cracks present — the 2-2 draw with CSKA Moscow in the second leg; the scorelines in the Watford and Stoke wins were embellishing of the Gunners’ quality –, the confidence was beginning to seep back into the dressing room.

Well, that has now ended, and somewhat sharply. With the first leg of Atletico Madrid semi-final only a little over a week away, and with just one match before it, the loss of momentum is worrying for this team, especially considering their infamous ability to crumble when criticism begins to close in on them.

Next: Arsenal Vs Newcastle United: 5 things we learned

And that is worry of rotation. It can lead to poor performances and poor results that, in turn, yield a loss of form and confidence, de-tooling this team ahead of the most important game of the season. With Atletico on the horizon, Arsenal desperately need a convincing win next weekend against West Ham.