This is certainly not how the Premier League imagined the top match between Arsenal and Newcastle United. The league has always claimed to be at least the most eventful, highest quality and most attractive league in the universe. Whenever a match abroad almost dares to draw attention, even if only for 90 minutes, they usually hit back immediately with some clash between their top clubs, which usually delivers what it promises.
In the past few days, island football has faced a particular challenge. The aim was to put Saudi Arabia, which was increasingly entering the market, in its place. Around the turn of the year, the desert state dominated the headlines with the signing of five-time world footballer Cristiano Ronaldo to Al-Nassr FC. England more or less claim the period around Christmas and New Year for themselves with traditional holiday football.
Unattractive 0-0: Arsenal’s duel against Newcastle offered little excitement, here Newcastle’s Sean Longstaff goes down with a pained face.
(Photo: Charlotte Wilson/Offside Sports Photography/Imago)
It should therefore have been convenient for the Premier League to be able to fight for the interpretation sovereignty with leaders Arsenal on Tuesday evening. Recently, on Boxing Day, Boxing Day, even Arsenal’s eternity coach Arsène Wenger surprisingly showed up at a Gunners home game for the first time after leaving in the summer of 2018. His former club beat West Ham 3-1 despite falling behind, and all Arsenal goals came in close succession. The emotions boiled over accordingly, the fans worshiped Wenger (“There’s only one Arsène Wenger”) – and the sung grand seigneur had to pull himself together in the stands not to show tears of emotion.
Such dramaturgy should be against Newcastle again, it should clarify the situation. And then this: Arsenal and Newcastle parted goalless, 0-0. A murky number that was not worth mentioning. Not even when Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta verbally attacked his colleague Eddie Howe on the sidelines in the final stages and later rumbled that his team had been denied “two scandalous penalties”.
Is this all real? The procedure with the light show and fireworks in the stadium is flawlessly staged and produced
Responsible for the stalemate on the pitch was the rather cleverly defending Newcastle, who thus consolidated a respectable third place, nine points behind a hasty Arsenal. Throughout most of the match, it seemed like the Magpies didn’t want to score, that’s how defensively Coach Howe lined up his players. The point behind it: Spoilsport Newcastle has been under 80 percent of the Saudis for a year, who hold their club shares through their own sovereign wealth fund.
And the Saudis shouldn’t have been happier that day than that Ronaldo’s pompous performance far surpassed the Premier League top game that was taking place almost simultaneously. It was even frightening at times as the storylines came together – as if they had pulled the strings not only in Riyadh at home, but also in distant London.
The welcome of world star Ronaldo on Saudi soil was like a state ceremony. The procedure with the light show and fireworks in the stadium was staged and produced so flawlessly that the viewer sometimes wondered whether it was all really real. In several places, the recordings looked like animations. It was no different with the soundscape, especially considering that the capacity of the venue is just 25,000 visitors. The fans adored Cristiano Ronaldo with chants. And the representatives of the country’s autocratic ruling family paid homage to him in such a way that one wishes they would give their own people as much love and affection.
In return, Ronaldo thanked him for the reception. He said what the Saudis probably wanted to hear from him: that he was “really, really happy” to be in Saudi Arabia and had turned down offers from all over the world, partly because he wanted his work in Europe to be ” done” feel. With his performance, he stole the show in a certain way from the Premier League, his old homeland, which had recently given him the cold shoulder. According to the taste of the Saudis.