The narrative coming into this one was all about Alexander Isak. Perennially linked with Arsenal over recent transfer windows, the home fans inside the Emirates Stadium could only watch on longingly.
What if we had Isak in our ranks, they must have been thinking. Quite. The immense Swede was the difference between the two sides on Tuesday evening.
Since the draw was made for the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, Newcastle have been everything Mikel Arteta wants his side to be; solid and emphatic in attack.
Sadly, an injury to Bukayo Saka has curtailed any hopes the Gunners had of improving in the final third.
While they created chances in midweek, with Kai Havertz notably heading wide a glorious free header from just a matter of yards out in the second half, they could not take them and were left to bemoan an awful night against the Toon.
It was that man Isak who popped up with the goods and with Anthony Gordon alongside him, Eddie Howe’s men hold a 2-0 advantage heading into the second leg.
Given how tough it can be to play at St James’ Park, it’s likely Arsenal are dusted in this competition for another year.
What went wrong for Arsenal against Newcastle
In recent weeks it has been a lack of creativity to bemoan for Arteta’s men. Couple that with injuries and some dodgy officiating and they haven’t really had the rub of the green.
Well, they had no bad refereeing to blame this time around. Creativity wasn’t an issue either; they generated 3.76 expected goals to Newcastle’s 1.53 xG. Instead, it was a succession of chances missed, notably that second-half opportunity for Havertz.
How he didn’t find the net is beyond many fans watching on. The ball was swung and in with the goal at his mercy, the ball dropped off the German’s shoulder which ensured he didn’t meet the ball with his head properly.
Another glorious opportunity was spurned by Gabriel Martinelli, who on a bad night for Arsenal, to his credit put in a lively display. That said, he really should have scored in the opening 45 minutes.
The home side were able to play through the Newcastle press which led to a golden opportunity for the Brazilian forward.
He raced clear of the defence and with only goalkeeper Martin Dubravka to beat, went to the right of the goal but struck a placed effort off the post.
In the big moments, it was Howe’s side who reigned supreme and they largely had Isak to thank for that. What this Arsenal team would look like with him in is a salivating one.
Instead, they are left to plug away with the likes of Havertz and a certain Leandro Trossard who continues to underperform.
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Leandro Trossard's performance in numbers
Last season the Belgian was a vital player during Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League challenges.
Scoring 16 goals across all competitions, it meant that only the mercurial Saka (20) found the net more regularly in 2023/24.
Unfortunately this season he has not even been close to the same levels of performance with Trossard having beaten the ‘keeper on just four occasions in 28 matches. That simply isn’t good enough.
In truth, he has struggled to get going all campaign and there can be some excuses. It was the former Brighton man who Arteta initially turned to to fill the Odegaard void in the middle of the pitch when he was injured and on Tuesday, he played in an unfavoured role on the right wing.
Despite creating three key passes, the most of any Arsenal player barring Declan Rice, that didn’t tell the full story of a laboured performance that was given a 5/10 post-match player rating by Football.London’s Tom Canton. He wrote that Trossard ‘failed to make a meaningful impact on proceedings’.
Minutes played
59
Touches
41
Accurate passes
20/27 (74%)
Key passes
3
Accurate crosses
0/2
Duels won
3/4
Possession lost
11x
Shots on target
0
Shots blocked
2
Dribbles
0
Dragged off after just 59 minutes on the clock, he trudged to the bench having had only 41 touches of the ball, ultimately three fewer than goalkeeper David Raya. It also meant that he dismally gave away the ball every four touches, having lost possession 11 times.
The 30-year-old didn’t have a single shot on target, didn’t attempt any dribbles and was inaccurate with both of his crosses.
Putting it simply, the Belgium international isn’t good enough to start games and has to be replaced this January. He’s not fit to lace Isak’s boots, a player who Arsenal must throw the book at to bring to the Emirates in the summer.
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