The Gunners looked like the attacking side they use to be know for in recent games and they have been keeping it tidy at the back all thanks to Rob Holding and Pablo Mari.
It looks likes the two center back have formed a good partnership as they have haven't conceded a goal in their last two games.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has praised Rob Holding for his performance and consistency. The 25 years has been in a good shape since he recovered from a knee injury which kept him out in 2019.
Recall Holding was close to joining Newcastle on season loan last summer after he wasn't able to get into the starting XI. But Mikel Arteta canceled the deal and kept faith in the English international.
“He had a period when he did not play and then he played against Leeds at home (an FA Cup match in January 2020),“ said Arteta. “When you compare how he has evolved from then to now, in a year’s time, it is incredible.
“It is down to him, how professional he is, how much he wants to learn, how much he puts into every training session and then his character and his personality.”
This weekend, the Gunners will hope to kick off their FA Cup defense with a win against the Magpies.
Arsenal will host Newcastle at the Emirates on Saturday.
Although, Rob Holding and Pablo Mari might be rested for the game as Arteta might decide to rotate the team.
The manager went ahead to state that Holding has grown since he joined the club from Bolton.
Rob Holding has been a regular in defense for Arsenal this season, he has made 18 appearances in all competitions so far.
Arteta added: “He is growing in every aspect. I am really happy with him. It is true that in the summer he came to me because we had a large amount of central defenders and he was not sure about how many minutes he was going to have.
“We stopped him going anywhere because we knew he was going to be an important player for us.”
Arsenal vs Newcastle third round FA Cup clash will kick off at 6:30pm GMT.
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