Arsenal Vs Newcastle United: Reinjecting momentum

Arsenal host Newcastle United after an extended international break on Monday night. With the break stalling excellent form, reinjecting momentum to close out the season is absolutely essential.

Sometimes the international break comes at just the right time; sometimes it does not. You would find very few suggesting that the March interval was positioned just when Arsenal wanted.

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Unai Emery’s team were really beginning to click. Fluent wins against Southampton and Bournemouth hinted at a return to form. A dogged draw in the North London Derby then followed. And then two wins against Manchester United and Rennes, two of the most complete performances of the whole season. The Gunners were starting to flow.

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And then 17 days without a match. Arsenal’s win over Rennes came on March 14th. That was their last game before the international break. It was also their last game in March. Their next comes on April 1st, Newcastle United coming to the Emirates as the Premier League returns to the forefront of the footballing world. The match provides Emery and his players to reinject the momentum that the international break may have stolen.

After tinkering with his shape, system and personnel throughout the season, Emery was finally beginning to ostensibly feel settled with his team. Mesut Ozil was back in the fold, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was firing on all cylinders, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, along with a shift to a 3-5-2, stabilised the troublesome right flank in Hector Bellerin’s absence. Having such an extended break after two excellent performances is far from ideal.

But that is the nature of the season. There are natural ebbs and flows. And as Arsenal return to the fold with the prospect of a brilliantly successful first campaign under Emery’s guidance within their grasp, they must now rediscover that same form of early-March.

Newcastle United at home is one of the better fixtures for Arsenal to reignite their season, with all due respect to the Geordies. Although Rafa Benitez’s team are well-drilled and difficult to break down, at the Emirates, they will not be heavily fancied to grab a result. And with no midweek game afterwards, Emery can play a full-strength XI, with many stars like Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette replenished after a midseason trip to Dubai.

A win and a good win would really send a statement that this team is ready for the final push over the last month-and-a-half of the season. There are now only eight league matches remaining, as well as a Europa League quarter-final against Napoli. ‘We are in the endgame now’.

And so, building momentum after the international break stalled the flourishing progress is essential. Let’s hope Emery and his team can oblige. The fans are waiting for it and the season may just depend on it.