FPL notes: Isak goal, £4.3m Hall great, Arsenal struggle to create

Arsenal’s early title tilt was further derailed on Saturday as they fell to defeat at St James’ Park.

Picking the bones out of Newcastle United’s 1-0 win, we continue our Gameweek 10 Scout Notes.

• READ MORE: FPL notes: Haaland blank, Dias + Stones injuries, Pep on Lewis

ARSENAL STRUGGLE TO CREATE

The early kick-off was a match low on clear openings. Just one of each, if you believe Opta: Alexander Isak‘s (£8.3m) thumping headed opener (which wasn’t that easy) and Declan Rice‘s (£6.3m) 93rd-minute off-target effort.

Mikel Merino (£6.0m) had a shot cleared off the line, too. A back-post header from Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) was a half-chance.

Other than that, precious little goalmouth action. Both sides failed to hit double figures for shots, while StatsBomb had the xG at a paltry 0.64-0.78.

That suited Newcastle, who could sit on an early lead. The onus was on Arsenal to break down their hosts – and they never really looked like doing so. The Magpies were excellent but Mikel Arteta’s side were worryingly toothless.

“We weren’t good enough and didn’t have enough answers to get out of that, especially creating the threat that we needed. So, at the end, you are reliant on two or three big chances that we had with Mikel, two with Declan and one with Gabi [Martinelli]. Not enough threat to change the game in any moment and win it. That’s the frustrating part, but credit to them as well for what they did.” – Mikel Arteta

Other than the two home matches against pre-season relegation favourites Southampton and Leicester City (in Gameweeks 6 and 7), creating clear chances has been a bit of a problem:

Some mitigation. They’ve had a tricky start, fixture wise, other than the whipping boys. Are they missing the on-the-ball ability of Oleksandr Zinchenko (£4.8m) at left-back, too? Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) may be an upgrade on the Ukrainian but is currently injured.

Perhaps the easiest excuse is the lack of Martin Odegaard (£8.2m). Yes, Saka is the league’s leading chance creator. However, over half of the opportunities he has supplied have been from corners and crosses. Valid ways of scoring, of course, but if you need an alternative method, some line-breaking passes from midfield. Rice and the so-far-unremarkable Merino, the central midfielders in Arteta’s 4-4-2, are not going to do that.

The good news: Odegaard is nearly fit and could return as soon as this week.

ANOTHER CLEAN SHEET LOSS

Six matches without a league clean sheet is now Arsenal’s longest run without a shut-out in 18 months. Not great for those doubling on the Gunners’ backline in Gameweek 6.

Really, it was only the Leicester and Southampton games that were supposed gimmes. Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle aren’t easy tests. The Gunners were reduced to 10 men early against Bournemouth, so we can write that one off.

The clean sheets were busted in Gameweeks 6 and 7 from opposition xGs of 0.32 and 0.65, meanwhile. On another day, the Foxes and the Saints would have been shut out.

It may get worse before it gets better at both ends for Arsenal. Chelsea will pose the Gunners’ backline a test next Sunday. Nottingham Forest’s mean defence will be a tough nut to crack in Gameweek 12.

Thereafter, though, the fixtures bode well – even more so if Odegaard is back.

HALL STANDS OUT AS NEWCASTLE IMPRESS

There were two teams in this game, of course. All credit goes to Newcastle for making life difficult for Arsenal.

This was very much like a performance from the overachieving 2022/23 campaign. Intense, full of energy and featuring quite a bit of s**thousery. It even featured Joelinton (£6.0m) as a left winger, an ostensibly conservative tactic we hadn’t seen much of since the arrival of Anthony Gordon (£7.2m) and Harvey Barnes (£6.4m). If Eddie Howe perseveres with it, and it’s worked well in the last two games in league and cup, there is a possibility that it could boost the clean sheet chances going forward.

Gordon was on the right flank, hugging the touchline more than he would be on the opposite wing. He was the source of Newcastle’s goal: a peach of a cross from out wide superbly nodded in by Isak. Perhaps Gordon will be more assists than goals if these tactics persist.

Isak – looking increasingly sharper following his early-season struggles with a broken toe – will rekindle interest now, with three goals in the last week and some favourable fixtures from Gameweek 12 onwards. He can maybe wait till after the international break, with Forest away up next.

Lewis Hall (£4.3m) could play his way into FPL contention, too, especially for Gameweek 12 Wildcarders. He pocketed Saka on Saturday. Usually we’d see him contribute further forwards, too, but this wasn’t the game for that.

Newcastle have a strong recent history of players coming good in their second seasons after much time and work under Howe. Hall may be following in the footsteps of Gordon and others in 2024/25.

“The challenge then for Lewis is to accept he’s come for a big transfer fee, but then actually do the work. I’ve seen players who haven’t responded well to that. To Lewis’ great credit, he got his head down and did the work.

“He worked incredibly hard, double sessions after training, a lot of review and analysis into how he was getting on. We had no doubt that he would step into the team and hopefully take his opportunities when they came.

“I thought he really grabbed it towards the end of last season, and he hasn’t looked back at the beginning of this. I still feel there’s more growth and development in his game, but I think he’s in a really good place and has started the season very well.” – Eddie Howe on Lewis Hall

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