After an outstanding performance against the Magpies, Pablo Mari has entered the hearts of Arsenal fans, as well as making a statement to Mikel Arteta.
Since his arrival from Flamengo in January 2020, the Spaniard was not seen as a first team option. Recently, it has been a different story due to his successful covering of the injured Brazilian, Gabriel.
After coming back from his ankle injury in December, Mari has potentially secured a first team position in Mikel Arteta's side thanks to his solid defensive displays.
Mari v Newcastle United
Last night, the defender presented an outstanding performance, proving his worth and ability to boss Arteta.
The Spaniard paired up with David Luiz, Kieran Tierney and Cedric Soares, with the Arsenal backline performing admirably against a challenging Newcastle United attack.
In 120 minutes of FA Cup football, Pablo Mari achieved a 94% pass accuracy (73 passes), as well as 97 touches and two key passes within play.
The defender also proved his defensive qualities, securing a clean sheet with five clearances, four tackles, three interceptions and one block.
The defender for sure demonstrated his defensive expertise, with a performance Arsenal fans will not forget.
After the eventual final whistle, fans took to social media to praise the well returned Spaniard. He may have just secured a place in the list of Arsenal fan favourites.
The Stats so far
Through the horror start to the season for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, Mari expressed his trust and confidence in the Gunners boss:
"When you appoint a coach, it is because he has given you the confidence that his idea of football is the one that you think is best for your club.
"If you don’t give it time for that idea to evolve, you aren’t giving it a chance. When you want to change a dynamic or a mentality of a club, it is difficult to do it in a month."
"We are in that dynamic right now, no matter how hard you try, football is not giving you everything that you give it. It is a matter of changing it."
Since then, the Arsenal boss has returned the favour and has placed his trust in Mari, who has changed the dynamic of the defensive.
Since returning to Arsenal's back line, the Spaniard has played four games, winning all four.
As well as this, Mari has created a particularly strong partnership with Rob Holding and Tierney, achieving three clean sheets out of the four games he has played.
In the Premier League, the Spaniard has only played 384 minutes of football, and has only conceded once.
Since his return, Arsenal have bounced back from their devastating start to this year's Premier League campaign, now only six points off the top four.
What's next for the Spaniard?
Looking forward, Mari has a great chance to install himself into Arsenal's spine, playing Crystal Palace on Thursday, and Newcastle once more in a weeks time.
After his terrific displays, it wouldn't be surprising if the defender becomes a crucial part to Arteta's rebuild of Arsenal Football Club.