Five takeaways from Newcastle 1-0 Wimbledon - Osula, a rare 90 mins and the low block
Newcastle United secured passage to the 4th round of the League Cup in a relatively lowkey match against League Two AFC Wimbledon in a hastily rearranged game on Tuesday night. An act of God finally saw United play at home in a Cup for the first time in eight attempts.
A full house saw Fabian Schar nonchalantly slot home a first half penalty to set up a tie against Chelsea at SJP on the 30 October as United seek a return to Wembley.
Here are our five key takeaways from the game:
- Will Osula is raw, but the ingredients are there
It was an encouraging runout for the £15m summer signing. The big Dane’s movement was impressive, he has a turn of pace, and he can create space with his first touch by taking it away from a defender.
He clearly has long way to go, and is visibly incredibly raw, however the potential was clearly on display on Tuesday night. His physical attributes will stand him in good stead in the Premier League and I would think (or perhaps wish) he would get some more minutes from the bench.
When Wilson returns from injury too, I hope the lad can work with and learn from him; and continue to make the matchday squads, as leaving him out would stifle his potential.
- Joe Willock got a vital 90mins
While the game will be instantly consigned to the realm of ‘if you lift the trophy in February, no one cares who you beat on a lowkey night in the third round,’ it was a big night for Joe Willock was completed 90 minutes for the first time since the 6-1 drubbing of Spurs on 23 April 2023.
That is the perfect game which highlights the lad’s quality, his delightful outside of the boot assist for Isak to score the fourth, carved Spurs apart that day. Last season was an injury nightmare for Willock, so it was pleasing to see him finally finish the 90 minutes still on the pitch.
He was quiet on Tuesday, just like everyone else to be fair, but the minutes in the legs will hopefully see him start to get back to the intelligent, pacey runner he was before his injury layoff.
- Struggled to breakdown the low block
In an uninspiring 90 minutes of football, United struggled to breakdown a stubborn but unadventurous Wimbledon side. The Dons setup in a 3-5-2 and didn’t have an effort on target in the game but set out their gameplan from the opening minute – to be compact and try and still be in the game with ten minutes left.
Newcastle struggled with just 4 of 18 shots on target and no clearcut open play chances created. Eddie Howe even had to bring on the big hitters to see out the game.
A low block is, by design, hard to breakdown. Teams use it effectively when they’re outmatched to frustrate, smother and, ultimately catch the opposition in the break. Inter Milan’s Champions League win over Barcelona under Mourinho in 2009-10 being a prime example of playing it perfectly.
League Two Wimbledon perhaps shouldn’t have been as difficult to breakdown but let’s reserve judgement until Saturday when the first eleven are back against an Everton low block.
- Kudos to Wimbledon
When the game was originally postponed following flood damage to Plough Lane, I was disappointed as it’s always great to experience new grounds whether in the away end or on television.
Many fans of other clubs and the clubs themselves have contributed to a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to fix Plough Lane’s pitch, with United contributing £15,000, in a display of unity. As a huge fan of the English football pyramid, it was heartening to see fans come together in a small way.
Watching the old Wimbledon vs Newcastle at Selhurst Park is one of my formative experiences of live football as a kid, so it was great to see their phoenix club live too.
A fan-owned club, there is a lot to admire about them. Hopefully their pitch will be repaired soon, and I genuinely wish them all the best for this season and beyond.
- Everton game is huge
I’ll try not to repeat what I wrote in the last 'five takeaways' verbatim, but the Everton game feels like a huge tone-setter for the remainder of the season, especially when some were dissapointed by our lethargic display last night.
Beat the Toffees and the international break will flyby with United ensconced in and around the top four on 14 points with some winnable fixtures upcoming. Lose and questions will be asked about why the lads seem to only get ourselves revved up for the big games like Manchester City.
With Isak likely to miss the weekend game too, it will be harder with his absence, but we need a repeat of Saturday afternoon rather than Tuesday night. HWTL.
(Picture credit: Alex Waters @geordiesbible)
