Arsenal will try to continue their strong defensive record on Sunday when they visit a Newcastle United side still struggling to score goals since the departure of Alexander Isak.
Arsenal (3-1-1, 10 points) have allowed just two scores so far in league play. And Manchester City’s Erling Haaland became the first and so far only Premier League player to score against Arsenal from open play in the ninth minute of last weekend’s 1-1 draw.
Manager Mikel Arteta says the club’s stinginess is a credit not only to his rearguard, but to the approach of all 11 players on the field.
“”We start from our frontline and the amount of pressure and work that they put into any defensive line, any goalkeeper, is tremendous,” Arteta said. “So it’s something collective, it’s a team sport and in anything that we do, everybody has a pivotal role in that.”
Even so, the Gunners still find themselves five points back of Liverpool and already managing injuries to several key players.
However, Arteta said attacker Bukayo Saka should be fit for Sunday’s clash and that his removal following a heavy challenge in Wednesday’s 2-0 League Cup win vs. Port Vale was planned.
Newcastle (1-1-3, 6 points) have scored only three goals so far in the league amid the saga that eventually saw Isak move to Liverpool for a reported fee of $170 million.
The Magpies moved for Stuttgart’s 23-year-old Nick Woltemade as a replacement at the transfer deadline. He’s scored once so far in two league appearances after he had 12 goals in a breakthrough Bundesliga campaign.
That said, Newcastle have won their last three against Arsenal at St. James’ Park, including the second leg of last year’s Leagues Cup semifinal en route to the club’s first major honor in 70 years.
And they’ve been very competitive so far in two home matches against global footballing powers, a 3-2 league loss to Liverpool in the second game of the Premier League season, and a 2-1 UEFA Champions League defeat to FC Barcelona on Sept. 18.
“It has always been a competitive game against Arsenal, and there has been an edge to those games as both teams want to win,” said Magpies manager Eddie Howe. “The more competitive we are, the better we play. We need to bring that to the game on Sunday.”
–Field Level Media
