Nuno Tavares had a very good game for Arsenal on Saturday.
The Gunners bounced back from a 4-0 defeat by Liverpool to beat Newcastle United 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Tavares set up Arsenal’s opener against the Magpies and was constantly a threat going forward.
And you have to say, it was a masterstroke by Mikel Arteta.
Brilliant decision
That’s because Arteta had a lot of good reasons to drop Tavares and bring Kieran Tierney back into the first XI.
The Portuguese left-back had a shocker at Anfield and there was pressure on Arteta to recall the Scot.
Thing is, dropping Tavares after such a performance would’ve only compounded his low confidence.
But Arteta let him play his way back into strong morale and really, it’s such a clever decision.
This is the sort of foresight that Arsene Wenger showed throughout his 22-year career in North London.
Wenger always kept one eye on his players’ morale and acted in the best interests of them as individuals, hence why he famously never saw penalties that Arsenal avoided conceding.
Fortune favours the brave and Arteta’s courage to start Tavares instead of Tierney certainly paid off for the Gunners on Saturday.
Tavares, who cost £7 million in the summer, is only 21 and mistakes are inevitable.
But it would’ve been a bigger one by Arteta to axe him after the Liverpool game.
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