Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle United: 5 Talking Points
Final score: Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle
Goals: Mesut Ozil (23')
Arsenal hosted Newcastle United for their Matchday 18 clash of the Premier League. The Magpies were coming into this game on the back of 7 losses from their previous 8 games, and their trip to the Emirates only proved to be an extension of what seems to be a nightmarish run of results.
Arsene Wenger's side took a whopping total of 23 shots, of which 5 were on target, and just 1 troubled the scorekeepers. The North Londoners seem to be having problems of their own, having found the back of the net just twice in their last 3 Premier League games, and if not for Mesut Ozil's worldie, might have struggled to get over the line once again.
That being said, here's a look at the 5 major talking points from the clash at the Emirates:
#5 Arsenal's finishing woes continue
Arsene Wenger is bound to be a worried man, going by Arsenal's astonishingly poor conversion rate in recent games. Remember David de Gea's superhuman effort against the Gunners? That game saw Arsenal take a staggering total of 33 shots, with 1 goal to show for their efforts. Should you choose to dismiss it as de Gea's brilliance, consider this:
After their unfortunate tryst with de Gea, Arsenal went on to play Southampton and West Ham, before this weekend's Newcastle clash. In the Premier League, The Saints have conceded 24 goals this season, while West Ham and Newcastle have allowed 32 and 27, respectively. The point is, these aren't the most defensive teams, and David de Gea most definitely doesn't play for all of them.
Against Southampton, Arsenal managed to take 11 shots, with just 1 goal to show. Against West Ham, they took 22 shots and scored none. Against Newcastle, yet again, they managed a plethora of chances, with a total of 23 shots, but walked away with just 1 goal on the board.
Now, my math lets me down at times, but as per my calculations, that's an astonishing tally of 89 shots in the last 4 games, with just 3 of them finding the net. Should Arsene Wenger be concerned? You bet he should.