Arsenal v Newcastle match preview – mission impossible?

Posted on March 11th, 2012 | 19 Comments |

The Queen - Arsenal supporter.
"One is a Gooner!"
Venue: The Emirates.
Date: Mon 12th Mar 2012.
Kick-Off: 20:00.
Referee: Howard Webb.

With the trials and tribulations of derby day behind us, Newcastle United now face a tough fixture away to her majesty’s favourite team, Arsenal, as they try to find their way back to winning ways.

Let’s face it, it’s a tough prospect to go to The Emirates and take points. Arsenal have screwed things up occasionally this season but they’re currently in a run of good League form and surely we’d have to consider a point an excellent result. Robin Van Persie seems unstoppable as his 32 goals in 37 games – 25 of which were scored in the League – seem to demonstrate and if we’re to stand any chance at all we have to find a way to keep him quiet.

Arsenal have only lost twice at home this season: to Liverpool back in August and to Manchester United in January.

Arsenal are likely to line up with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Arteta and Song in front of the back 4, Rosicky ahead of them, Van Persie ahead of him and Chamberlain and Walcott providing the width.

We on the other hand will most likely go 4-4-2 and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same line-up we used against the mackems last week, with perhaps the only question being whether or not Raylor plays on the right wing again. Could Obertan be in with a shout? Or maybe Guthrie? I very much doubt Pardew will be starting Benny out there but I don’t think playing Raylor there has been all that effective.

Ahead of the game, Alan Pardew has said:

“I just think they are a good side. The ethos of what they do is admired throughout the world.

“For us, it’s about going there and trying to stop them being at their best and winning.

“That’s something we did last year. We defended very well there last year and nicked a goal.

“We rode our luck many, many times in that game, but got the win, and there’s no reason we can’t do that again.”

Presumably he’s got a plan other than ‘riding our luck’ though!

No matter how hard I try, I can’t raise enough optimism to see us getting any points here, but you never know eh?

History

Arsenal have the lead on us in the Premier League years with 16 wins to our 9 (and 10 draws) and at The Emirates/Highbury we’ve only won 4 times, most recently last season when a 45th minute goal from Andy Carroll was enough to take the points in a 1-0 victory. Our other victories at their place came in 94/95, 96/97 and 01/02.

Last season saw a good return from our fixtures against Arsenal because besides winning at their place we staged that excellent recovery at home to come from 4-0 down at half time to make it 4-4 and take a point.

We played Arsenal in the first game of this season at our place and that ended at 0-0.

  Played Newcastle Wins Arsenal Wins Draws
All Premier League 35 9 16 10
PL At Arsenal 17 4 11 2
All games 169 66 65 38
All Games At Arsenal 84 23 44 17

Our record win against Arsenal was 7-0 in 1925/1926 and their record win against us was 5-0 in 2000/2001.

Recent Stats

Arsenal can be said to be on a roll having won their last 4 league games, which have included a 5-2 thumping of Spurs and a 7-1 massacre of Blackburn. They have lost games in between League fixtures, going down 4-0 to AC Milan and 2-0 to the mackems in the FA Cup. Of course last week they beat AC Milan 3-0 in a valiant attempt to rectify their 4-0 deficit.

We on the other hand have been mediocre with 2 draws and a loss, and we have to go back over a month to find our last victory when we beat Villa 2-1.

Last 6 League Games             Pts
Arsenal L D W W W W 13/18
Newcastle L W W L D D 8/18

Team News

ARSENAL

Arsenal have Arteta, Ramsey, Benayoun and Santos may all back in contention after injuries but Diaby, Coquelin, Wilshere, Mertesacker and Frimpong are all sidelined.

Arsenal (from): Szczesny, Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Rosicky, Arteta, Ramsey, Benayoun, Santos, Walcott, Song, Benayoun, Van Persie, Fabianski, Jenkinson, Miquel, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho, Chamakh, Squillaci.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Peter Lovenkrands joins Best, Sammyobi, Saylor and Marveaux in the injury room as he has a suspected ruptured thigh which might mean he’s finished for the season. Alan Pardew should still be able to field a fairly strong team though as he will have most of his first choices available.

Newcastle (from): Krul, Elliot, Simpson, R Taylor, Santon, Ferguson, Perch, Coloccini, Williamson, Kadar, Cabaye, Tiote, Guthrie, Obertan, Ben Arfa, Gutierrez, Gosling, Abeid, Shola Ameobi, Ba, Cisse.

Howay The Lads!

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

19 Responses

  1. mission impossible? – isn’t that where the good guys allways look superior and allways win? Doesn’t sound like NUFC !

  2. Supermac says:
    March 11, 2012 at 1:25 pm

    “mission impossible? – isn’t that where the good guys allways look superior and allways win? Doesn’t sound like NUFC !”

    Well, Mike Ashley’s the worst dressed, shiftiest looking billionaire I’ve ever seen, and he’s the Devil incarnate so I hope not, Supermac.

  4. Qwerty says:
    March 11, 2012 at 3:47 pm

    “Van Persie seems to have aged a few years in that picture (or decades.)”

    It could be Fabregas after a head transplant with the Queen, Qwerty. She told him that she was a Gooner when he was captain of Arsenal, as is Prince Harry. Her mother was a Gooner as well, when she wasn’t betting on the horses.

  5. Yo Hugh !
    Why doncha just forget the filler, ” meaningless statistics”.

    The Queen mum a gooner, when she was’nt betting on horses…..
    Add, or smoking a fag and downing J&T’s like they were going outta style.

    The Devil “Incarnate” you say !
    Oooooh !
    Not a fan of Ashley then ?
    Nah! just a relentlessly driven soul who cant get off the merry go round, obsessed by success, which could be translated into profit.
    It’s my belief he bought the club as both an adjunct to his real business (to advertse), plus every rich man needs his toys.
    Surrounding himself with yes men, but doubt if he actually trusts anyone, micro managing everything.

    As for mondays game, gonna be tough to take any points from a revived Arsenal, who beat Spurs bad, who in turn gave us a hammering.

    Been checking out what has been known as “Ed’s Blog”, (hope he is on the road to recovery) dont know who is now writing the blogs, but if you did’nt know it was an independent blog , you wold think it was a house organ.
    Nothing but feelgood articles, ad nauseam.
    Not surprising there’s an equal amount of punters who agree, guess Barnum had it right after all.

  6. Chuck, I met the Queen Mother when I was a bairn. I drew the short straw and we talked about the clocktower of my school. I think she’s one of the main reasons you Yanks think we all still have dodgy teeth over here. Politically she was somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun and she was best mates with all the Apartheid gadgies in South Africa. She absolutely hated Lady Di, thought she was another Wallace Simpson, and lived so lavishly that despite the huge annual sum she received from the taxpayer, topped up with numerous donations from the Queen, her Coutts bank account was still £4 million overdrawn. Her G&Ts were always triples.

    On Ashley, he does have a brace of the usual ostentatious nouveau riche mansions but he’s not really a “toys” person. He can’t even be bothered to dress himself like a billionaire and looks like one of his Sports Direct customers most of the time. His full time vices are making money, gambling money, and that’s about it! Newcastle United isn’t a “toy” for him, it’s a publicity vehicle for his main brand, SDI PLC.

    As for ‘Arry and Spurs’ recent dip, I’ve already explained that one, the curse of the England manager. Just being strongly linked with the position is enough to make everything go tits up! ;-)

    The blogs are still written by Ed, or a machine! As you may know, he’s not exactly reluctant to write about his corporate past as a fairly high up with “Big Blue,” and likes to let people know how “savvy” he is about matters of high finance. Because of this, I think he’s a bit of an aspirant who looks up to people like Ashley and Llambias as fellow “high flyers,” and attempts to explain the wisdom of Ashley’s business strategy to we mere mortals, hence the “house organ” nature of many of his articles. Because he does so many, he doesn’t really research them very deeply or cut through all the PR BS either.

    But I sincerely hope he’s on the road to recovery too. I just lost a good friend very recently to cancer.

  7. Have to say that I’d be shocked it we don’t get skinned in this one. If the arse win, they’re a point behind spuds and they’ll be desperate to finish above them. Given that our defense hasn’t been the same since Saylor’s injury, I can’t see us preventing them scoring. And lately we haven’t done the business too well at the other end of the pitch either. Hoping for a point, expecting nowt.

  8. After recent comments about the 4-4-2, away fixtures against the top sides, and how we can’t really field it like we did against Spurs… Wonder if Pardew will play a 4-4-2?

    Bet he does.

  9. Jimbob says:
    March 11, 2012 at 9:00 pm

    “Wonder if Pardew will play a 4-4-2?

    Bet he does.”

    Jimbob, forgive me as you may know this already but it’s about far more than a mere formation. One 4-4-2 can be very different to another and it’s about a whole approach with many different factors.

  12. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    March 11, 2012 at 10:38 pm

    “worky/Stephen,

    where/when y’meeting tomorrow?”

    We’re meeting in the away coach park sometime after 6-6.30pm, but you should get in touch with Stephen to sort out all the details. You have his e.mail and his number.

  13. Just a thought – looking at the table 6th – 8th (chelski, NUFC, Liverpool) and comparing the records with spurs & arsenal – its not defeats that are the problem (all 5 on 7 or 8) its bloody draws that are the problem (as I mentioned before christmas).
    We have thrown away leads and not had the killer touch to convert draws into wins.
    Ah well, I suppose I’d settle for another draw tomorrow!

  16. clint/ worky

    could you send me a text in the next few minutes so i can store you numbers on my phone.

    cheers

  17. can i pose a question

    is it just me or does anyone else feel aroused when you look close at the queen in he Arsenal jersey and see her nipples sticking out.

    ggggggrrrrrrrrrrr tiger

  18. worky,

    i’ve done the mail thing.
    Where’s the away coach park?

    Stephen,
    weird, i’d just texted you there, then reloaded the page & it was you asking for a text.
    :)

  19. Y’d think queenie was a chelsea fan, i see her more as a west londoner.
    :)

    I find it difficult to get aroused by an archaic, oxymoron to be honest Stephen.
    :)