Signs of Life

Arsenal’s recent run of form continued with a win over Newcastle on Monday night as Arsenal climbed into the top half of the table, claiming 13 points from their last 5 games.

After a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace, Arsenal swept past Newcastle 3-0 at the Emirates off the back of a devastating second half performance. Crucially, there were signs that captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may be returning to his former self.

Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey were handed surprise starts which on the one hand is concerning due to their recent injury troubles but it was also great to see two of Arsenal's most important players on the field. However, they were not able to help find a breakthrough in a cumbersome first half.

The first goal came from a flowing transition in the 50th minute. Cedric won a header on the edge of the Arsenal box, nodding it towards Lacazette who found Partey with a first time pass. Partey shimmied past his man opening up space to pick out Aubameyang with pinpoint lofted ball. From there we saw the Aubameyang that carried us through all of last season, picking the ball up, driving into the space and skipping past his man before hitting the back of the net with a strike from the edge of the box.

Aubameyang 1-0

Arsenal doubled their lead 10 minutes later. Aubameyang released Smith Rowe down the left who dribbled at his man, going inside then outside before picking out Saka on the cutback. Saka, who had drifted in off the right, neatly tucked the ball away to score his 3rd goal in 5 league games.

Saka 2-0

The third goal came as a result of Cedric and Saka pressing down the Arsenal right and forcing a Newcastle turnover. A swift one two released Cedric into the box along the byline where he picked out Aubameyang who tucked it into the empty net for his brace.

Aubameyang 3-0

Despite struggling in the first half, Aubameyang found his feet in the second, with his first goal in particular taken in typical Aubameyang fashion. Seeing him play with purpose and raising his effort levels is key to his return to form and the goals will only help that. The introductions of Smith Rowe and Partey to the team are also important factors as their simplicity of play and directness helps to release Aubameyang quicker, giving him more time and space on the ball – as we saw against Newcastle.

On the transfer front, Arsenal agreed to terminate Sokratis’ contract 6 months early. Sokratis was not included in the 25 man Premier League squad this season and even before this campaign struggled for game time under Arteta so his departure was somewhat expected. The Greek centre back has been a solid enough player for the club and his warrior mentality will be missed but it is a deal which makes sense for both parties.

Mesut Özil also looks to be on his way out of the club with a move to Fenerbahçe seemingly imminent with the player flying to Turkey this week. It is sad to see his Arsenal career end like this and Özil was a great player to watch on his day but the reality is that this has been coming for a while now and a fresh start for all involved is a good thing. Good luck to Mesut at his new club.

On Friday morning Arsenal made their first signing of 2021, bringing goalkeeper Matt Ryan in on loan from Brighton. Having lost Matt Macey and with Runarsson’s shaky performances in an Arsenal shirt, cover for Leno makes sense but a loan move for a keeper seems strange and shows that Arteta is desperate to improve the cover for Leno.

Up next for Arsenal is a double header against Southampton, first in the FA Cup on Saturday at 12:15pm, followed by a league game on Tuesday night at 8:15pm – both at St Mary’s. With the cup game likely to see rotation for Arteta’s side, it is hard to see Arsenal bringing much attacking threat with the likes of Saka and Smith Rowe contenders for rotation. For the league game it will be interesting to see if Arsenal can build on their recent run of good form. Southampton are Arsenal’s toughest test since the Chelsea game on boxing day so it is time to see if what we have seen is the real deal.

FA Cup Prediction: Southampton 1 – 0 Arsenal

Premier League Prediction: Southampton 1 – 2 Arsenal

Adam Perry - 22/01/2021