Newcastle United Vs Arsenal [1-2] – Premier League 2025/2026: Mikel Arteta Adaptability & Fine Margins – Tactical Analysis

Arsenal are always an intriguing team.

Can they reach the next level?

Can they make up the fine margins needed to win a major honour they probably already should’ve won?

These are questions typically asked when the Gunners are mentioned, but I personally believe they are one of the world’s best, most adaptive teams, and it’s a matter of time before a major honour arrives.

You can feel the team improving year on year in the same way Jürgen Klopp revived Liverpool; it’s just that Mikel Arteta opts for more variety in his methods.

This adaptiveness was on show vs Newcastle United.

It must be said that, representative of what the Premier League currently is, it was often a game of long balls, with both teams looking to get the ball to their big strikers.

Ultimately, though, the game hinged on Arsenal’s ability to find gaps in the half-spaces of Newcastle’s block, and the Magpies retreated deeper as they lost their out-ball to Nick Woltemade.

In this Premier League tactical analysis, we will analyse the key components of how Arsenal found central space to overcome a difficult challenge at St. James Park.

Nick Woltemade Style Of Play Vs Arsenal

A big question mark around some of Eddie Howe’s tactics is that they rely on going too risk-averse, too quickly, when building up a head of steam.

Here against Arsenal, in the first half, the direct tactics of playing a long ball up to Nick Woltemade were something that Arsenal and Cristhian Mosquera failed to deal with.

Newcastle United’s plan was straightforward: target Woltemade so the big German could use his body to push Mosquera or Gabriel out of position.