Eddie Howe’s tactical setup shocks Arsenal as Newcastle march into the final of the Carabao Cup
- Mayank Srivastava
- Feb 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 10
Newcastle United successfully managed to take down Arsenal in an emphatic 2-0 win last night to advance in to the final of the Carabao Cup.
The Magpies won with the same scoreline as they did in the first leg at the Emirates, sealing the tie with an aggregate scoreline of 4-0.
Jacob Murphy’s opener in the 19th minute, followed up by Anthony Gordon’s 59th-minute goal, was enough to see the hosts through, with Arsenal left to sulk after a wasteful performance.
Currently standing 6 points behind Liverpool in the league, while being knocked out of the FA Cup and now even the Carabao Cup, Mikel Arteta’s chances of winning a trophy this season appear to be fading away even more.
Arsenal would be kicking themselves
Even though Mikel Arteta and his men were left surprised by the dynamic setup that Eddie Howe played, they still have primarily themselves to blame for last night’s defeat as a result of their disappointing finishing.
Despite dominating in possession, the Gunners were, once again, very wasteful in front of the goal, failing to convert any rare, golden opportunity that they were able to carve out in a highly defensive Newcastle system.
As per the stats provided by SofaScore, Arsenal attempted 11 shots while managing to keep just 3 of them on target.
Captain Martin Ødegaard missed arguably the best opportunity for Arsenal to score, that too at just the 19th-minute mark, which probably could’ve sparked a much-needed comeback for them.
Kai Havertz’s 'negligible’ performance was yet again a clear indication of why Mikel Arteta desperately needs a clinical striker in order to deal with challenges such as the one they faced last night.
The German had a very disappointing game, attempting 0 shots in totality, picking up a rating of just 6.2 as per SofaScore.
Eddie Howe’s unexpected setup
Eddie Howe played brilliant mind games even before the match began, fielding a surprising setup that Mikel Arteta would not have assumed.
The Newcastle manager decided to alter his team’s tactical setup, fielding a 5 at the back instead of his traditional 4-at-the-back system, changing the formation from a 4-3-3 to a 5-4-1.
As per The Athletic UK, it was only the fifth time since the beginning of his tenure with the Magpies that Eddie Howe decided to field a 5-at-the-back formation.
The presence of 3 centre-backs, in the form of Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, and Dan Burn, was seen to be creating a roadblock for Arsenal in order to preserve their 2-goal lead that they brought from the first leg.
On top of that, the 3 CBs possess strong aerial abilities and were able to deal with Arsenal’s dangerous threats from set pieces, especially from corners.
Newcastle’s full-backs, Kieran Trippier and Lewis Hall, were observed playing in wing-back roles in the new tactical setup, allowing the Magpies to launch quick transitions in order to catch the Gunners out on counterattacks.
The presence of the wing-backs allowed more width for Eddie Howe’s men to attack, which stretched Arsenal’s defence in attempts to try and break its shape from time to time with the Gunners’ centre-back forced to stretch wide to deal with the advanced wing-backs.
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