Arsenal: 5 key players to watch for against Newcastle United

Posted by Ayanda Khuzwayo on 13 September 2018 10:05 AM CAT

The international break is a damn annoying thing, especially for eager Arsenal fans desperate to see the continued progression of their club as they strive to get back into contention for a major trophy. But we’re back now, and Newcastle United is next up on the to-do list.

Going into St. James Park is never an easy thing, as it’s a rather intimidating atmosphere to have to play through. And while the Magpies have yet to win a match, and find themselves in early relegation territory, there can be no underestimating not only their gumption at home but the Gunners’ own struggles away from home.

All that to say, this won’t be an easy match. If it is, it will be one hell of an accomplishment. That said, we should still be expecting the full three points, even if it is a nail-biter.

And if we’re going to get the full three points, it is going to be largely up to these five men right here. We start with No. 5.

5. Shkodran Mustafi

I can’t say this enough – while Arsenal’s defence has absolutely been a problem, their centerbacks have not been a problem. They’ve actually been quite good, to the extent that I stopped calling for Calum Chambers return after about week one. BecauseShkodran Mustafi and Sokratis have been wonderfully adequate.

Mustafi, however, is notorious for his mental vacations, when he seems to lose all sense of how to defend at random times and has a wholesale collapse. That hasn’t happened yet this year, and I would hope that it wouldn’t happen again, but in the meantime, there is always that risk.

This defence is going to be under siege early and often against a fired up Newcastle squad. Mustafi will have to be locked in and at his best to stymie the flow of attacks coming at him.
That said, let’s be honest, no one is expecting a clean sheet. So let’s talk about the positions that really matter.

4. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

I find that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is falling down the “must-have” charts, same as Mesut Ozil, who has since completely vacated the premise. That isn’t because Aubameyang isn’t needed, it’s just that the Gunners aren’t necessarily relying on him as much as they once were. And that is due largely to the fact that He’s currently looking like the second fiddle to Alexandre Lacazette.

And again, that isn’t a slight on Aubameyang at all. It’s just the nature of his style. He is very dependent on the guys behind him. He needs to be found in order to score. Which can make him a bit of a tertiary character at times.

Which is probably better for him. Same as it’s better for Mesut Ozil to avoid the spotlight and operate at his own pace. Aubameyang may move up the key player's list in the future, but for now, he should enjoy taking a back seat and letting lacazette hog the spotlight. It allows them both to play to their own individual strengths.

Aubameyang finally got off the goalless skid last time out, and with that monkey off the back, he may be in line for the inverse to start.

Moving on to No. 3.

3. Granit Xhaka

Granit Xhaka is going to be a permanent denizen of this list before each and every match simply because of the nature of his existence. Fans will constantly scrutinize his each and every move, but in the meantime, between his sporadic mistakes, he will continue to dominate possession, control the ball, as well as the flow of play, and send in passes that serve as firestarters.

Depending on who Xhaka’s partner is, his importance may increase. If he is paired with Guendouzi, his responsibilities are multiplied, whereas if Lucas Torreira gets his first start, Xhaka will have more freedom to exercise his own forces.

Whatever the case, with what figures to be a hectic, back-and-forth match, Xhaka will be called upon to try to establish some semblance of control and take the sting out of Newcastle’s raging determination to get in the wins column.

And, even if he fails at that, you can be sure that some of his passes will pierce the Magpies shaky defence and provide some opportunities to score at least a couple goals. From there, it’s up to the strikers.

Next up, No. 2.

2. Aaron Ramsey

With the diminishing roles of both Ozil and Mkhitaryan, Aaron Ramsey has risen to the forefront as the premier driving force of this attack. And the best part about that is that he is up to the task in every conceivable way.

While consistency has evaded the Welshman for the majority of his still-young career, he has found it now. He has become a reliable source of attacking threat, without the usual, accompanying drawback that we became far too used to in his match by match play. Ramsey is in a super mode now, and he has been for a while. That’s called consistency.

Plus, Ramsey has yet to tally a goal or an assist and you can bet that no one is more annoyed by that than the man himself. He was often accused of being too “Hollywood,” always intent on being a one-man magic show, but that’s become his calling card. He is a one-man magic show, so let’s just appreciate it and embrace it.

And, again, as he is the best No. 10 available, most everything is going to flow through him. As it should, because he is the most capable of handling it.

Finally, No. 1.

1. Alexandre Lacazette

The main man, and the man that should have been the main man long ago. Lacazette has been incredibly patient as Unai Emery figured out how to get him into the same starting XI as Aubameyang. We are only one match into this new partnership as of this season (we didn’t see much of it last season either), but the early results couldn’t be much better.

Lacazette is the primary threat once we get into the attacking sphere. Against Cardiff City, it was because of him that the Gunners didn’t suffer a major let down. He was a fantastic presence on the attack, not just in scoring the winning goal, but in providing the assist for the second goal, as well as being a general threat throughout.

Lacazette was so demonstrative with his efforts that I don’t see any possible way that he doesn’t start. If he doesn’t, then Emery has a serious vendetta against him, because Lacazette proved straight off that he is the best all-around attacking threat in the “illustrious Fab Four.”

The best part is that he doesn’t even have to score to make a big impact. He is going to be a positive force no matter what.

Original Article can be accessed at The Pain in the Arsenal