3 positives & negatives from Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle

Positive #3: Breaking the press

Newcastle tried their best to exhibit pressure on Arsenal from minute one, pressing much higher than many clubs dare to at the Emirates. That proved to be a moot effort as Arsenal cut through the Magpies’ high press with ease in the first ten minutes of the match, resulting in a bombardment from the home team toward the visitors’ goal.

However, they managed to see out the storm and then shifted their tactics, instead deciding to sit deeper in a low block that proved much more effective in snuffing out Arsenal’s opportunities. They were compact and could overload their defence, leaving Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka alone against two or three defenders with no outlets.

It proved to be a good tactic, with Arsenal failing to score.

Negative #3: Time wasting

The ball was in play for only 53 minutes at the Emirates.

Newcastle seemed dead set on this from the get-go; they were time-wasting galore in this match. Every time Arsenal had a throw-in or free-kick, a player in black-and-white would disrupt the play or throw the ball away. The ref lost control, and there was nothing done about it the entire match.

To make matters worse, just a total of seven minutes was added on. It’s frustrating to see time wasted like this when Arsenal could have won this match. The World Cup would frequently have much longer stoppage times in matches to make up for the lost time during the 90 minutes. Yet the Premier League still seems to rely on a seemingly random system of guessing how much time will be added. It’s infuriating.

It was a frustrating match, but Arsenal are still top of the league. Tough matches lie ahead, but this team can beat anyone they come across.