Arsenal vs Newcastle: Do we have a defense, or no?

Arsenal’s defense is terrible, and Newcastle United is just another test that they are bound to fail. Is it possible that there is a defense hidden in this wreckage somewhere?

The overwhelming problem of “The Defense” is weighing heavy on Arsenal. Normally, when a club has a problem, you can pin it on one guy in the delicate art of scapegoating, or you can point out the flaws in a particular position, but to point to a problem as large as “The Defense” is to single out 50% of the game and say that we are failing at it.

The Gunners have given up a whopping eight goals, which, if it were to carry on, would mean that over the course of the season, giving up two goals a game, they would end up surrendering nearly 80 goals. Will that actually happen? Probably not. But we might well give up 50 for the second consecutive year.

Why? Like, what the hell is going on? Fans are discovering that it isn’t so easy to pick out one individual culprit. Even Shkodran Mustafi, the scapegoat of last year, has been solid this year, as has new arrival Sokratis. So what gives?

While we can’t answer the question conclusively, watching the club get out there against winless Newcastle United gives us another chance to peruse what is going on. And, if Lucas Torreira starts, it will give us the best opportunity yet, because it will give us a good indication if it is the midfield that is the problem, as many hypothesize.

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The theories are widely hypothesized. Some say it’s the midfield, some the fullbacks, some the centerbacks, some all of it combined, some the lack of communication, some the lack of leadership, some the keeper… the theories go on and on. But one thing is certain–something isn’t right.

Newcastle may provide an excellent opportunity to hold a microscope to this defense given the situation that they are in. They are going to be hungry and desperate to get their first win in front of an always-raucous St. James Park, and that means there will be pressure, pressure, pressure on the Arsenal goal. That’s been the case throughout the season, but with City and Chelsea, we could brush it off as them being superb opponents. With Cardiff, it was that ambiguous “poor defense.” But who was to blame?

Hard to say. Ideally we will find out more against Newcastle. Maybe I’m just being overly optimistic here, but can we please, please figure something out against Newcastle? I’m tired of giving up goals.