Ozil downs Newcastle: 3 things we learned

Arsenal beat Newcastle on Saturday thanks to a stunning left-footed volley by Mesut Ozil. Here are three takeaways from the match.

Arsenal won their first Premier League match since November against Newcastle on Saturday, the lone goal a stunning first-half volley by Mesut Ozil. Here are three takeaways from the match:

Arsenal struggle in front of goal

There were moments during the first half of this match when Arsenal were breathtaking. The speed of their transition, the quality of the combination play between Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette, the threat provided by Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles out wide — all of it was superb.

But, besides Ozil’s opener, a moment of individual magic, they were strangely blunt. They amassed 23 shots in total, five of them on target, but Rob Elliot wasn’t forced into any save he wouldn’t expect to make. In some ways, this performance was stereotypical Arsenal, dominant, but guilty over playing, resulting in fewer chances than they deserved.

Perhaps that had something to do with the formation. Arsene Wenger opted for a 4-2-3-1 — his preferred set up for years prior to this one — for the second match running. Lacazette started up front in place of Olivier Giroud, with Jack Wilshere and Granit Xhaka in holding midfield and Maitland-Niles and Bellering at full-back.

With an extra body in central midfield, the Gunners camped out at the top of Newcastle’s box, using their full-backs as the out ball whenever they appeared like they would run out of space. There was so much to like, and yet Arsenal spent the last 15 minutes of this match clinging onto a narrow lead.

They won’t complain too much with their first win since November, but their inability to turn dominance into chances, and chances into goals — something that cost them against Manchester United, Southampton and West Ham in their past three games — is becoming a more serious concern.

Newcastle join the relegation battle

Newcastle have now picked up only one point from the last 27 available, a run of form that has seen them slip into the relegation zone for the first time since the first weekend of the season. Rafa Benitez won’t have targeted an away trip to the Emirates as a prime opportunity for a point (or three), but this was a troubling performance nonetheless.

An Arsenal side that have been held to draws in their past two matches cut through the Magpies’ defense with ease, especially in the first half, and would have won by a bigger margin if not for some sloppy finishing. Benitez’s strength has always been making his teams difficult to beat; eight losses in nine matches isn’t an encouraging statistic.

Perhaps even more concerning are the continuing struggles in attack. Newcastle improved as this match progressed, and caused Arsenal some problems late on, but there’s no real pattern to their play, and they have no individual capable of a piece of game-winning skill like the one that won this match.

This is Newcastle, of course, which means there’s no shortage of good reasons the team are struggling, chief among them Mike Ashley’s non-ownership, highlighted by his refusal to strengthen the team over the summer. There are apparently willing buyers for the club, but Ashley’s stubbornness may prevent a sale from going through.

At this point, Benitez has to assume he’s not going to get any help from the higher-ups. The squad he has is the one he’ll have to save from relegation. And as taxing as it presumably is to have to work in Ashley’s shadow, Newcastle have more talent than at least three other teams in the league, and a manager whose style should be well-suited to a relegation battle.

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Ainsley Maitland-Niles does it again

In his second start of the week, Maitland-Niles impressed again at left-back. The 20-year-old, who usually plays in midfield, flashed his attacking quality early on, driving past three Newcastle players before dragging his shot just wide.

But equally as impressive was his composure and commitment in defense, where he covered diligently and distributed well when he was on the ball. Even at a club who are never short of young talent, Maitland-Niles looks like a very promising prospect.

Whether he can nail down a spot in the starting XI long-term, however, is harder to say. Sead Kolasinac, who was bought based on the strength of his performances as a traditional left-back, hasn’t been given an opportunity in the position this season.

Instead, he’s been used either as the left-sided center-back in a back three or as a left wing-back. He’s been impressive in both roles, and one of Arsenal’s most consistent players, raising the question of why he hasn’t started since Wenger switched to a back four.

Maitland-Niles’ performances have made this a non-issue so far, but with a busy slate of games coming up, Wenger might consider moving his young star further forward, allowing both Maitland-Niles and Kolasinac to play in their best positions.