Eze stuns again, Havertz's injury could spell doom, and more from a nerve-wracking win against the Magpies.
Maybe it’s the fact that I only slept five hours the night before Arsenal’s home match against Newcastle, and then around six the following night.
Maybe it’s the fact that I drank more Guinness on Saturday than I have in years.
Or perhaps it’s the feeling of being yet again dragged back into a vicious cycle that I just couldn’t shake after the game.
In any event, as I write this, I am exhausted.
Because near the end of a season that has regularly been a grueling watch, this match offered optical salvation, a welcome sight for eyes painfully sore from months of ugly games and near-constant grafting. The silver lining of the loss at Manchester City was that Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard, and Eberechi Eze played together after the gods of circumstance fought tooth and nail for months to keep them from doing so, and that with the three Gunners’ powers combined they formed a competent attack. On Saturday, they once more started together. What’s more, Bukayo Saka made the bench for Arsenal, threatening to finally complete a potentially elite quartet that has literally never featured together on the pitch.
It was exciting. As I arrived at Franklin Hall that morning to watch with local fans and the visiting stars of the ArsenalVision Podcast, the buzz of eagerness was palpable. Eze’s screamer in the ninth minute elicited a joyous uproar in the venue. I hugged people I’d only just met and sang all the songs I knew. And I realized that perhaps what my wife has been telling me for years is actually true: despite my insistence to the contrary, I might indeed be an extrovert.
And then, just over a half hour into what promised to be an encouraging win over a toothless Newcastle side, Havertz sat down on the floor and required tending to by an Arsenal physio. The concern, the pain even, on the German’s face was clear for all to see. Moments later, he departed straight down the tunnel as Viktor Gyökeres took to the pitch in his stead.
From there, the match concerningly took a turn toward the dynamics we saw when Bournemouth won at the Emirates Stadium two weekends ago. Newcastle gratefully accepted the initiative that Arsenal handed them. The Magpies finished with more possession, more shots, more xG generated, more big chances, more passes attempted, and a higher percentage completed.
In other words, they were in control and Arsenal spent the majority of the match holding on for dear life. On another day, William Osula doesn’t fall over as he sprints into a one-on-one with David Raya or the point-blank chance Nick Woltemade created for Yoane Wissa isn’t blasted over the crossbar. Newcastle likely felt they were unlucky not to leave north London with at least a point and I don’t think you can blame them for that view.
In a moment of the season when the margin for error might be less than zero, it is massively concerning to see Arsenal look so passive. This is the time when players with something on the line assert themselves as the protagonists of their own stories. That was, as Mikel Arteta put it, game one of the five-match playoff for the Premier League title that Arsenal find themselves in. And that was the performance that they produced. After being shown that the Gunners do know how to play a more practical brand of football, we are back to one that demands truckloads of emotional energy from a crowd that is running on fumes. Myself included.
I know I’m coming off as perhaps a bit too negative in the wake of an important win. And I’ll freely admit, I’m letting my emotions take the wheel a little here. But seeing how quickly Arsenal reverted back to bad football, to play that cedes control and plays on margins they do not have the ruthlessly efficient attacking talent to consistently turn in their favor, was frankly a little depressing. It fills me with dread for the coming weeks. If Arsenal put in a similar display next weekend, Fulham probably have the offensive firepower capable of making their hosts pay for it. And that would be a fatal blow.
In the more immediate future, the Gunners now turn to a first leg in the semifinals of the Champions League, a competition that is perhaps more tolerant of what Arsenal serves up when they don’t have a striker who can help sustain pressure in the final third. But even then they will travel to face Atlético Madrid, whose roster features the likes of Julián Álvarez, Antoine Griezmann, and Ademola Lookman — players who will assuredly exploit long stretches of dominance their opponents allow them to have. The Gunners must be better for that match too.
There is reason for optimism, fortunately. Eze seemed in good spirits when he exited with his injury against Newcastle, as well as at full time. According to the manager, Eze’s and Havertz’s injuries were “niggles” and not major issues. Of course, Arteta could be bluffing and Eze’s confidence might be overblown; both have been the case previously. But I’m holding onto all the hope I can find. Because if Arsenal are forced back into deploying the MGM Not-So-Grand front three for a significant portion of this season’s final stretch, I’m not sure I like Arsenal’s odds of success.
Again, I know I say this after celebrating a win on Saturday. But now is when teams should try to be convincing about their victories.
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Ballers
Eberechi Eze
I think it would be fair to say that Eze is currently one of Arsenal’s best players. The Englishman certainly continued to make his case in that regard on Saturday. In the ninth minute, the Gunners played a short corner — their third attempt at such a routine — which ended with Havertz laying the ball off for Eze to masterfully curled into the far side of Nick Pope’s net from outside of Newcastle’s box. The wonder goal proved to be the winner for Arsenal, marking another match in which a moment of magic from the former Crystal Palace has secured victory.
What really struck me is how that corner routine seemed drawn up specifically with Eze in mind. The previous corner before the Arsenal no. 10’s screamer also saw the ball funneled out to him, which flew just off target after Eze tried a shot on his left foot. It’s clear that his stature in the team has increased tremendously in 2026; he has become a recognized difference-maker in this Arsenal side. In addition, I thought Eze was very good on the ball. His turn to completely hoodwink a Palace player on the ball in the 37th minute was excellent. He completed his only dribble and won two of his three ground duels. Hopefully, his withdrawal in the 53th minute was just precautionary.
Bukayo Saka
News of Saka’s reported struggle with Achilles tendinopathy has played on many an Arsenal fan’s brain recently. But thankfully, the Hale End product was deemed fit enough to make the bench against Newcastle. And when he eventually replaced Noni Madueke he looked rather sharp.
A big part of this has to do with one of Saka’s most significant superpowers: his ability to almost always make the right decision in terms of his final action. It’s a stark contrast when compared to Madueke, who, well, doesn’t always make the optimal choice in possession. In fact, he is the polar opposite of Saka in that regard; the former Chelsea man has a particularly frustrating knack for almost always losing the ball when he gets it. It’s part of why Arsenal’s recent play has been so tough to watch.
But with Saka back on the pitch, even while not being at 100%, the Gunners’ right side functioned much more coherently. Soon after his introduction, Saka gave Dan Burn a fright by quickly cutting in on his left and firing a shot that was deflected away from goal for a corner. He also created as many chances in nine minutes as Madueke created in 81. If he can stay fit, Arsenal may be able to overcome not having Havertz for a little while.
Piero Hincapié
I’ll reiterate my displeasure at seeing Arsenal continuing to bet on their defenders being able to see out narrow leads game after game after game. But Hincapié is so far justifying that gamble. The Ecuadorian was utterly marvelous in his defensive duties on Saturday. He may truly be the best representation of what an “Arteta player” is — Hincapié consistently empties the tank and puts his body on the line. He treats every successful tackle like a goal. He is as committed a defender as they come.
Hincapié finished the match with fifteen defensive contributions — five tackles, one block, five clearances, and four interceptions — as well as three ball recoveries. He was not dribbled past once. He also won eight of 11 ground duels and one of two aerial duels, and won two fouls. Hincapié was utterly immense. And if you’re going to play the way Arsenal do, playing on the margins without having the attacking talent to justify that approach, your defense needs to be the difference-maker. So far, Hincapié and the likes of Raya, William Saliba, and Gabriel are doing that.
Fallers
Kai Havertz
Ahead of this game, I released an edition of the Player Concern Index. In this newest iteration of the column, I gave Havertz a green circle rating because of his importance to the team. And that remains the case — as soon as he came off the pitch Arsenal ceased to have any semblance of control against Newcastle. But unfortunately, I have to declare that he has officially been demoted to yellow circle status. And the other colors are on the table as well.
Deep in the recesses of my Arsenal-supporting mind, there has been a growing fear that Havertz is done at this level physically, that we are never going to see the German play like he did in 2024 again, that he is, as the kids say, “crocked”. That fear has gotten louder and louder as the season has progressed and Havertz missed months with a knee injury suffered on the opening day of the season before coming in and out of the team over the last couple of months. As I saw him go down injured yet again on Saturday, the alarm bells in my head crescendoed.
I hope I’m wrong, but I have to be honest: I’m terrified that the way Arsenal allowed Havertz to be run into the ground early last year has done the Gunners’ starting striker in long-term. His body just can’t seem to handle football anymore. And that kills me, because he is such a great player and an important player for this team. If his injury keeps him out for multiple weeks, I can’t help but wonder if that spells doom for Arsenal’s hopes of silverware. And if that is the case, the club will have no one to blame but themselves.
Viktor Gyökeres
Here lies the other half of my concern. Without Havertz in action, Arsenal will need to turn to Gyökeres to fill the void. And that is why I’m so worried. Because the Swede simply cannot do it.
I am all too conscious of how crazy it is that I am speaking ill of a player with 20 goal contributions in their debut campaign like this. But I find myself increasingly a part of the camp that believes that Gyökeres simply is not at the level Arsenal Football Club should aspire to inhabit. To me, it’s quite obvious that the Gunners’ lack of dominance in games directly correlates to the former Sporting striker’s involvement on the pitch. And I think that was the case again on Saturday — from the moment Gyökeres replaced Havertz, the momentum was consistently with Newcastle.
And it really all comes back to one thing: Gyökeres’ rather abysmal technical level. He cannot make the ball stick, or reliably perform linkup duties when Arsenal build attacks. Unless particular players are on the pitch, that means the ball comes back toward Arsenal’s goal far more often whenever Gyökeres plays. It also means that he can’t punish teams for letting him have the ball outside of the penalty area. A prime example of this came in the 93rd minute against Newcastle; Gyökeres received the ball in space as the Gunners found themselves in a three-on-one matchup on the break, and the striker failed to come up with a relatively simple pass to put either Saka or Gabriel Martinelli in on goal, which would likely have given Arsenal a two-goal advantage.
It’s just not good enough. Unless Gyökeres achieves a massive turnaround in ability, Arsenal need to assess whether there are potential alternatives they can deploy up front while Havertz is unavailable. To say that about last summer’s center forward signing is quite damning.
Martin Ødegaard
Arsenal find themselves in a five-game shootout against Manchester City. Entering Saturday’s match, the two teams had the same record, number of points, and goal difference after 33 games. The title race could very well come down to the latter category. The Gunners need to score as many goals as possible for the remainder of the Premier League season.
It was frustrating, then, to see Ødegaard essentially turn away from creating easy chances throughout the match. There was a moment in the first half when Arsenal had a chance to counter and Havertz could be seen dashing up the pitch with just one Newcastle defender anywhere near his vicinity, and that defender was sprinting after Havertz while the two were still in Arsenal’s half. Ødegaard could have played a straightforward ball to potentially send the German in on goal, but he dallied until the golden opportunity was gone and Havertz could only win a corner.
Later in the match there was another instance on the counter when Gyökeres was running into Newcastle’s box from the left, in space, Ødegaard elected to pass backwards instead of playing an elementary pass that would have given the Swede a chance to do one of the only things he’s good at: shoot at goal. In both instances, I just couldn’t believe the willingness by the skipper to practically shirk his offensive duties in favor of slowing the game down and making sure his team was in its proper shape. Again, every goal counts right now. And Ødegaard chose to focus on aspects of the game that do not show up on the league table. He needs to recognize the urgency of the moment.
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