Premier League 2019/20: Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal - 5 talking points

#3 Henrikh Mkhitaryan disaster class

Henrikh Mkhitaryan only completed 1 dribble out of an attempted 5

With Nicolas Pépé waiting in the wings, Henrikh Mkhitaryan can count his days as a starter coming to an end. Many an Arsenal fan was disappointed Alex Iwobi was sold this summer, instead of the Armenian. The 30-year-old didn’t do much in this game to rebuttal their complaints. He was meant to be the transition player for today’s team, acting as the link between midfield and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Instead, Joe Willock played that role much more effectively.

The right-winger gave away the ball on countless separate occasions. Come half time, no player had lost the ball more times (15) than him. Add to that, he blazed a relatively clear-cut chance over the bar, and you have a disastrous performance. The 30year-old maintained an abysmal 73% pass accuracy, while his team managed an 85% pass accuracy.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan lost possession more times (15) in the first half vs. Newcastle than any other player on the pitch, at least five times more than anyone else.Certainly a 45 minutes to forget. 🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/qpItwW0OyP

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 11, 2019