Arsenal moved one step closer to clinching 4th place with their win over Newcastle at the Emirates yesterday. It wasn't much of a contest, as Newcastle has completely quit on their season. More on them later.
An early Koscielny goal from a Cazorla free kick put Arsenal ahead, and only a series of impressive saves from Tim Krul kept the Gunners from opening a 3 or 4 goal lead before half time. Giroud missed two chances after an excellent Arteta pass played him in behind the defense, but the rebound of the second attempt found an offside Ozil, who calmly slotted the ball into the net.
Ozil was fantastic yesterday, constantly getting in dangerous positions and fooling defenders with pieces of great skill. His cross was inch-perfect to Giroud for the third and final goal of the match.
The win puts Arsenal 4 points ahead of Everton in the race for the 4th and final Champions League position. Next up for the Toffees is Man City at home--a match that both teams will desperately need to win to keep their respective ambitions alive. If Everton lose on Saturday, Arsenal will have clinched 4th before they play West Brom on Sunday.
Ironically for Everton, a victory against City would put local rivals Liverpool back in pole position to win the league. While I don't doubt that Everton's players will want to win, they are professional competitive athletes after all, it's an interesting situation for the Everton supporters. Arsenal's recent upturn in form and Everton's 2 losses in their last 3 matches make their Champions League hopes slim, at best. Perhaps the Everton supporters would rather see City go on to beat Liverpool for the title than winning Saturday, helping out their Red neighbors and keeping their 4th place dream alive, only for Arsenal to wake them up from it with a win over West Brom the next day.
Back to Newcastle. This was Alan Pardew's first match on the touchline after his ban for headbutting Hull player David Meyler. Newcastle has completely tanked in the spring after selling Yohan Cabaye to PSG in January. They've now lost 6 matches in a row, and 9 of 12 since the sale of their best player. While Newcastle was just 8 points behind 5th place Everton on February 2nd, they are now 23 points behind.
There are few signs of improving. Newcastle's goal difference is -18, 5th worst in the league. This suggests they've been somewhat lucky to win the matches they have. Newcastle has just 4 draws. The best player on their roster, Loic Remy, is on loan and will likely not be on the team again next season. Unless big changes happen, Newcastle looks likely to be in another relegation dogfight next year.
Owner Mike Ashley is notorious for keeping his club on a tight budget, but he made a truly costly mistake when he signed Pardew to a ludicrous 8-year contract extension. He did so to reward the manager after Newcastle's impressive 2011/2012 season in which they finished in 5th, one place above that year's Champions League winners Chelsea. Pardew's contract runs until 2020, but his team's form has truly suffered since he signed it. It seems very unlikely that he will stay at the club that long.
Newcastle was nearly relegated last season, and despite an up-turn in form in the first half of this season, the sale of Cabaye has sank Newcastle into relegation form once again this spring. The Newcastle supporters have completely turned on Pardew. They were very visible and vocal with their displeasure. Numerous banners and chants could be seen throughout the match calling for Pardew to be sacked.
Newcastle's supporters understand that their beloved club can't compete with the big boys' money, but they think their club should be challenging for a European place, and comfortably in the top half of the table every year.
Luckily for them, there is an available manager who has a track record of doing exactly that: David Moyes. Pardew's buyout won't be cheap, but Moyes seems to be a perfect fit. He succeeded at a northern club for a decade, and despite his failed stint at Old Trafford, the Scot is a clear upgrade over Pardew in every way.
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