Arsenal Vs Newcastle United: Do not forget the width

Arsenal host Newcastle United on Monday night, a match in which they will face a stern and disciplined deep-lying defence. To break them down, they must forget the importance of width.

After 17 days off that saw England score five goals twice and Arsenal take a midseason trip to Dubai, where they played a friendly against Al-Nasr, the Premier League, thankfully, finally, is back. And for Unai Emery’s team, that means hosting Newcastle United on Monday night, hoping to jump back ahead of Manchester United who beat Watford on Saturday.

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Like all of the final eight matches in the league season, this is a must-win match. Perhaps more pressingly, this is a game that the Gunners are expected to win. These are the ones that they cannot afford to drop points in.

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And overcoming Newcastle will not be easy. Rafa Benitez’s team have been in excellent form of late, already taking the scalps of Manchester City and Everton in recent weeks. They are very good defensively, conceding more than once just four times since the turn of the year, including matches against Spurs, Chelsea and both Manchester clubs. All year, they have conceded just one more goal than their hosts on Monday.

Breaking down a Rafa Benitez defence is very difficult. It is made more difficult with Newcastle employing three centre-halves and wing-backs that, away from home, become full-backs. As a result, Newcastle compact the central areas, allowing the opposing full-backs space with the ball, and let very little get in behind their deep block.

Being creative against such a set-up is not easy, and it largely stems from wide areas, rather than pretty passing through the middle. When Arsenal play poorly, the pace of their passing slows, their combinations become predictive, and it is easy for deep-lying defences to repel, as Newcastle have proven in the past. Width, therefore, is key.

And recently, that width has come through the two wing-backs in a 3-5-2 formation, Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Kolasinac has been an offensive force all year, notching five league assists already, creating more chances per 90 minutes than any defender other than Lucas Digne.

But last time out against Rennes, Maitland-Niles showed off his attacking threat. After just 15 minutes, the 21-year-old had created one goal, surging down the right flank to feed Aaron Ramsey who teed up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and scored one, firing in a header as he bulldozed his way through the far post.

If Arsenal are to have success against Newcastle on Monday, they cannot forget about their width. And with a lack of natural wingers, that width comes through the wing-backs, Kolasinac and Maitland-Niles. Both will be crucial.