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Arsenal told two of their players were not even up for the fight in 2-0 Carabao Cup loss vs Newcastle

Srinivas Sadhanand

Thu 6 February 2025 10:15, UK

Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United to eliminate them from the Carabao Cup meant their chances of winning major silverware have further decreased this season.

Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon’s goals crushed Arsenal’s dreams in the second leg of the semi-final on Wednesday night — with the Gunners having already been knocked out of the FA Cup last month.

Mikel Arteta would have hoped that his players come out all guns blazing against Newcastle off the back of their 5-1 victory against Manchester City.

But that was certainly not the case, as typified by William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes’ struggles against the Magpies. Alexander Isak has praised Saliba and Gabriel in the past but once again, he gave the pair a torrid time.

Saliba was slated by Arsenal fans as the Frenchman, in particular had a rough night with Isak nicking the ball ahead of the Frenchman before bursting past him to rattle the post — with Murphy knocking the rebound into an empty net.

The Swedish striker’s pace, quick feet and directness caused them a world of problems as he scored an early goal which was deemed offside as well.

William Saliba and Gabriel criticised after Newcastle vs Arsenal

Sol Campbell has lauded Saliba and Gabriel as one of the world’s best centre-back pairings but it seems like Newcastle have become somewhat of a kryptonite for them in recent outings — with both centre-backs being given the runaround in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final as well.

Mikel Arteta can head into most games feeling quietly confident that his centre-back pairing will keep the opposition attack quiet but this time around, they were in sixes and sevens.

After Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle, Frank Leboeuf claimed via ESPN FC that both Saliba and Gabriel did not look like they were up for the fight:

“Craig [Burley] was mentioning the centre-backs today, who are maybe the best pair that we can see in the Premier League and maybe in the world with Gabriel [Magalhaes] and [William] Saliba and when you see them struggling that much, you say that maybe in their head, they weren’t ready.”

“They weren’t ready for that, they weren’t ready to fight at St. James’ Park against a team who really wanted to win and it’s a disappointment because when you are professionals, when you’re a big club like Arsenal, you really have to think of winning everything. The four possible [pieces of] silverware should be in your target but they didn’t show that tonight.”

Isak “ragged” Saliba and Arsenal in the first leg and whether that is down to their mentality or the former Real Sociedad marksman simply being in the form of his life remains a mystery,. Even Alan Shearer claimed Isak bullied Saliba and Gabriel as the pair will have to go back to the drawing board and assess why they continue to struggle against him.

Eddie Howe admitted Newcastle targeted Saliba and Gabriel vs Arsenal

In the aftermath of his side’s much-deserved win, Eddie Howe admitted Newcastle targeted Saliba and Gabriel — an admission that will hurt their pride.

“We wanted to get pressure on them and in order to get that tactically, you have to let the players feel confident doing it in the right areas and that was the way we decided to do it.

“Still the players have to execute it and you’re up against elite players that one mistake, it can be difficult.”

Unfortunately for Saliba and Gabriel, even the statistics highlight how uncharacteristically disappointing they were against Newcastle.

While the Brazilian’s statistics are a tad better than Saliba’s, both players were quite passive during the contest, making no tackles, losing a combined six duels and making just one block between themselves.

As Arsenal face Leicester City next, the revered centre-back duo must return to their best because a potential draw or defeat could further dent their chances of even winning the Premier League title this campaign.