How times have changed since last Emirates meeting with Newcastle

Evolve or die: that’s the sentiment echoed by the wise folk, whether they be biologists or spiritual gurus, of the world, right?

The aforementioned sentiment scales far beyond Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory or the teachings of Eckhart Tolle, however. In sports, evolution is necessary to survive and subsequently thrive.

For both Arsenal and Newcastle, rapid evolution has seen them suddenly evolve into the Premier League’s hottest outfits, but there was a time not so long ago when the picture wasn’t quite so rosy for both sides.

Let me take you back to the last time these two teams met at the Emirates.

How times have changed since last Emirates meeting with Newcastle

It’s November 27, 2021, and Eddie Howe is in the dugout for the first time as Newcastle boss. The travelling crowd, buoyed by a long-awaited change of ownership and the controversial arrival of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, are in high spirits despite failing to see their side claim a single league victory through 12 games.

The hosts, meanwhile, headed into the contest off the back of a routine drubbing at Anfield having previously enjoyed an eight-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. It was a run that arguably saved Mikel Arteta’s job following a dismal start to the season.

Now, the details of this clash are pretty irrelevant but, just in case you’d forgotten, the contest ended 2-0 in Arsenal’s favour with substitute Gabriel Martinelli scoring a wonderful goal off the bench. What’s notable is just how much these two sides have changed since this game, not even 14 months ago.

Arsenal were admittedly much further along in their rebuild under Arteta, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was still leading the line, Albert Sambi Lokonga played 90 minutes in midfield, Alexandre Lacazette was introduced off the bench, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles was an unused substitute.

On the opposite side, Martin Dubravka started between the sticks, Emil Krafth and Matt Ritchie were Howe’s full-backs, and Joelinton was still an underwhelming forward. Isaac Hayden, Jacob Murphy and Paraguayan flop Miguel Almiron were Newcastle’s three substitutes.

The Magpies’ defeat that day left them in a perilous position at the foot of the table, and Howe would claim just one win in his opening nine games as manager. But then January arrived.

Newcastle’s work during the winter transfer window last year laid the foundations for the current beast they’ve morphed into. Some feared that the club would opt for a gung-ho approach to recruitment, similar to Manchester City after their takeover, but those upstairs at St. James Park’ have proven to be frighteningly smart.

The Gunners infamously got a taste of Howe’s emerging monster on Tyneside at a crucial stage of the 2021/22 season. Chastened by their defeat in N17 just days prior, Arteta’s men simply weren’t ready for Howe’s rigorously drilled Magpies in front of a euphoric home crowd. Arsenal were blown away and lost 2-0; their top-four hopes were in tatters.

There isn’t a performance and result that typifies Newcastle’s stellar improvement under their English manager than that triumph over Arsenal in May 2022. The Magpies pressed superbly with Callum Wilson leading from the front, while Bruno Guimaraes, their marquee January arrival and scorer of the second goal, allowed the hosts to play out from the back with comfort and style.

For Arsenal, though, that disappointment on Tyneside appears to have been the making of Arteta’s side. The heartbreak of last season’s epilogue has been swept under the carpet thanks to the Gunners’ majestic start to the 2022/23 season. Arsenal have accumulated points at an almost unprecedented rate and they head into Tuesday’s contest seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

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Newcastle, too, have gone from strength to strength and they currently sit third going into this midweek encounter having not tasted defeat in the league since late August. Howe has performed a coaching job for the ages, while Arteta is finally proving why many regard him as the most promising young coach in the sport. Stellar coaching has been key to their respective improvements over the past year, but savvy recruitment has also been paramount.

While both teams have been active in the transfer market, neither has spent bucket loads and from a personnel perspective, each of their evolutions has been subtle. Newcastle have built an incredibly strong core, one that includes Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, and Guimaraes, while Arsenal have done an excellent job of buying players that are destined to thrive within Arteta’s framework.

As a result, Gunners supporters are being treated to a brand of football they haven’t seen since Arsene Wenger’s pomp. Every single Arsenal player understands their function to a tee, and they’ve been able to develop relationships on the pitch with those they interact with the most. Synergy and telepathy have ensued, with the product thus far proving to be borderline unstoppable.

Arsenal’s fluent attack will meet, statistically, the Premier League’s best defence on Tuesday night. There’s a pragmatic edge to Howe’s Magpies – only Manchester United and Tottenham have completed more direct attacks than them this season, for example – but it’s their ability to suffocate opponents high up the pitch that points towards contemporary principles dominating the manager’s philosophy. Newcastle boast a league-high 169 high turnovers this season, four of which have led to goals – the joint-most in the division.

Something’s got to give at the Emirates when the two sides meet in what’s poised to be an enthralling encounter. Arsenal’s technique or Newcastle’s intensity? The Gunners’ fluency or Magpie stubbornness?

Nevertheless, no matter how Tuesday’s game plays out, the form of both Arsenal and Newcastle at the start of 2022/23 depicts a pair of serious forces that are ready to challenge the previous one-sided duopoly of Manchester City and Liverpool.