Why the handbrake now has to stay off for Arsenal

Arsenal showed a drastic improvement in their approach during their 2-1 win over Newcastle and that is something they now have to continue.

In the words of Gary Neville, the Gunners "took the handbrake off" at St James' Park after being accused of having it on throughout their 1-1 draw with Manchester City last week.

Mikel Arteta's side were arguably the better team throughout their encounter with the Magpies despite leaving it late to secure the victory and that was because they played the football they were so good at before switching to a more passive style last season.

This re-emergence of their brilliant and dangerous approach to games should not be a fad and now has to be how they play week in, week out.

Why the handbrake now has to stay off for Arsenal

Arsenal looked to play fast and free-flowing football against Newcastle and while it didn't directly lead to either of their goals, they did manage to cause problems for their hosts, a testament to what they can do against other teams.

This approach was somewhat of a throwback to the brilliant Gunners sides from the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons that were capable of tearing teams apart with their quick play. While the respective challenges for the Premier League title were unsuccessful, that was the way Arsenal have to play and that now has to continue once again.

Throughout those two campaigns, Arteta oversaw 16 victories where his team won by three or more goals, including six 5-0 wins and two 6-0 triumphs. The majority of those came due to the Gunners playing swift football which opponents struggled to deal with.

In comparison, they were victorious by the same margin on just five occasions last season with that decrease coming in sync with their change in playing style. That difference was significantly clear in Arsenal's final position as they posed little threat to the eventual champions, finishing 10 points behind compared to a five point and two point gap in the two previous campaigns.

It's clear that when the Gunners play more positive and fast-paced football, they reap the rewards. Aggressive and fast play made them serious challengers while a passive approach made them by-standers in a one-horse title race.

Now with a goalscoring striker in the form of Viktor Gyökeres in the team, along with the creative brilliance of Eberechi Eze and the other players who already formed a sensational side, there should be no reason why they don't continue playing this way.

Arsenal have a favourable run ahead of them in the league and they could overtake Liverpool if they perform consistently and get results. However, they can only do that if they continue playing the brilliant football that benefitted them against Newcastle and in previous seasons in order to avoid suffering the same slip-ups as they did last term.

The handbrake is now off for the Gunners and if they want to finally win the Premier League under Mikel Arteta, it has to stay off for the remainder of the season.