Arsene Wenger will watch the video of the Newcastle game last night and be worried what he sees from a certain Florian Thauvin – once a target of Arsenal’s when the 22 year-old was still at Bastia.
He will see how well Florian can cross the ball and in fact after scoring his first goal for Newcastle after only three minutes, he set up three Newcastle’s next three goals with his pinpoint deliveries – in short he looked great.
Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring equalizer at the Emirates last November
We are hoping that Florian can start against Arsenal, and put in those crosses and maybe Aleksandar Mitrovic can get on the end of some of them.
In fact Newcastle’s fourth goal scored by Mike Williamson last night looked too easy, and big Mike got on the end of that terrific cross from the Frenchman and headed it into the goal – so easy!
It doesn’t help Arsenal that his two top center-backs Mertesacker and Koscielny missed the Monday night game at home to Liverpool.
It was a close game but Liverpool missed their chances in the first half in a game that ended up 0-0.
Arsenal had former Saints player Calum Chambers and Gabriel Paulista together in central defense and their lack of experience and playing together showed, especially in that first half.
It looks like French International Koscielny will miss the game on Saturday with a back problem, while Mertesacker is sick – so we don’t know whether he can play but maybe not – if he doesn’t recover quickly enough this week and get some training in.
That would give Newcastle a decent chance of coming up with a result on Saturday in the early kick-off game.
But we still need to defend well and last night the team did well but it was a daft penalty that Cheick Tiote gave away.
Maybe that was because of his lack of playing time when he handled unnecessarily in the penalty box after 10 minutes with Newcastle already 2-0 up.
It was a good win last night, and there will probably be a sell-out crowd hoping Newcastle can play well on Saturday and get something out of the game, before the two week International break.
Things are starting to look up at Newcastle, and the 20 year-old Mitrovic will be looking forward to playing Arsenal again.
Last November he nicked the equalizer in stoppage time in that 3-3 come from behind draw last season in the Champions League at the Emirates, after Arsenal had been comfortable at 3-0 up after an hour.
Maybe Aleksandar can open his account at Newcastle on Saturday, and the likelihood is that he can nod in one of those measured Thauvin crosses.
Hope so.
Comments welcome.
12 comments so far
hibbit
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:09 AM
Comment #1ed’s in a race this morning…….the broons / charlie …people like yourself and charlie who go to the games try to give a fair account of the game and the team what i find odd is there were no streams so very few on here were able to see the game and yet people are talking as if we are world beaters loved last nights game always nice to see us win but the opposition were poor and the underlying problems are still there for all to see
Rotonda heights
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:10 AM
Comment #2abdennour going to valencia and van dijk to soto it would seem and Dunk just signed a new 5 year deal. Kongolo, Matip, Veltman and Denayer all possibly still available though.
From Saturday only changes I’d make are sissoko for colback and thauvin for obertan.
Krul
MBemba
Colo
Saylor
Haidara
Sissoko
Anita
Wijni
Perez
Thauvin
Mitro.
Keep Janmatt and Colback on the bench for now along with Darlow, Aarons, De Jong, Cisse, Lascelles.
Lilongwe Geordie
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:13 AM
Comment #3Lilongwe Geordie // Aug 26, 2015 at 9:12 AM
Sparky,
HE can’t tackle though. He lacks presence, he might be big, but he is terrified when up against a combative opponent. He goes into hiding just at the thought of Cattermole and the mere mention of Sebastian Larrsson. He doesn’t challenge aerially, so his height is wasted.
It is most likely all psychological with him, as he has the physique to dominate a midfield, he just doesn’t do it. He is probably the one with most to gain from working with Steve Black.
He mainly plays on the right for France now as well.
Laurent Robert 32
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:17 AM
Comment #4It’s not just Mitrovic’s hot-headedness with opposition players that you can see so far. Off camera, you can see him with plenty of shoulder shrugs, arm flapping, big sighs, head sulks, gesticulations to other players etc, and that’s with him just arriving. I don’t mind a bit of eccentric character in some of the players.
Tino and Big Dunc are my favourite players, with a few more very close behind. They had more than a bit of that in them!
I hope Mitro does very well. He’s only 20, so he may even grow an inch or two yet.
Rotonda heights
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:19 AM
Comment #5hibbit
to be fair it was our second string pretty much last night.
I think v manu it was probably the best defensive performance I’ve ever seen from us.
SM wasn’t my first choice by a long way and there are things like not subbing Janmatt at swansea, continuously playing Obertan, making colo captain, not prioritising a CB, selling abeid, not using aarons or even introducing Kemen in a game like last night that annoy me.
However, the signings made do have a real stamp of quality about them, Cathro is a gem, the bench looks much stronger and I’m actually looking forward to watching games for the first time in years.
hibbit
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:20 AM
Comment #6rotona…..not sure darlow is any better then elliot and i would put willo in front lascelles on last nights performance
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:22 AM
Comment #7Speaking of sell -out! Are there any movement out of Newcastle as we speak?
I had hoped a few more players had been loaned out and a few more sold!
We still need a few more faces and it would probably be easier to make that happen once some players have left.
Mag52
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:23 AM
Comment #8Rotonda.
Your team for Saturday. I actually think we can agree on something !
STB
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:25 AM
Comment #9If Wenger isn’t an idiot, he will play Giroud Sanchez and Walcott in a front 3 and I suspect we will potentially get a battering and find it difficult to get a hold of the ball, as was the case at Swansea & Manure.
Cue then the huges overreactions on here from the miserable half empty glass crew whose only solace in life seems to come from whingeing or attacking specific players.
We are work in progress after an appalling (half) season.
We have bought well although all would prefer to have another CB/RB cover.
There will be plenty more downs but if there is the will and skill to play attractive football and shoot for top 8 and go for the cups this is a marked progress on what we have seen.
Tinman
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:33 AM
Comment #10How was DeJong last night? And Thauv?
We have some great competition for attacking places now. It’s difficult to even pick your favourite team.
Rotonda heights
Aug 26, 2015 at 9:57 AM
Comment #11Mag 52
I’ve made a note. lol !!!!!
dneville
Aug 26, 2015 at 2:27 PM
Comment #12Rotunda, I can get with that lineup. Does anyone know how SDJ looked last night? I want to see him reach the heights he did at Ajax while at SJP.