Just a blip? - The Toon Review
Weeks are never usually boring on Tyneside, and these past few days have been no exception.
It was difficult to imagine that a week that included a dominant 3-0 home win over Wolves would end on a sour note, but that’s exactly what happened. Howe’s men appeared tired, sluggish and devoid of ideas on Saturday afternoon, as a plucky, undermanned Bournemouth ran rings around them.
Elsewhere, there has been little to no movement on the transfer front, despite glaring holes in Newcastle’s squad becoming even more glaring by the day. After all, squad depth is what separates the men from the boys over the course of a gruelling Premier League campaign.
As always, my name is Sam and I’m here to break down the past few days of life at the world’s least boring football club.
Wolves Tamed but Bournemouth Batter Magpies
How could such a positive midweek performance precede such a dismal collapse in effort, intensity and creativity? Granted Howe’s side have recently just won a record-equalling nine games on the bounce, but such was the manner in which they were dismantled on Saturday afternoon, that winning streak seems longer ago than it actually was. We can only hope that it was a wake-up call, a warning against complacency and over-confidence.
Anyway, just so it’s not all doom and gloom, let’s begin by talking about the stellar performance that downed visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night. I was at work during the match, but was able to catch a glimpse of the first half an hour or so (through a carefully timed break in the cafeteria). United came out all guns blazing, as has been the recent theme, and it was not long before man of the moment Alexander Isak capitalised on this early pressure, firing home a deflected effort that wrongfooted José Sá.
Isak netted again shortly after the restart before Anthony Gordon effectively put the game to bed in the 74th minute. That’s not to say Wolves didn’t come close to getting on the scoresheet; Howe’s side did have to endure two efforts against the woodwork from striker Jorgen Strand Larsen and a goal from defender Santiago Bueno that was ruled out by VAR for a handball. It was another in a long line of professional efforts from Howe’s side, routinely putting weaker sides to the sword in front of a ravenous St James’ Park faithful. Isak set the individual club record he’d been chasing, scoring in eight consecutive Premier League matches. This was to be where a couple of streaks would end, however.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAVFHXU-Wbc
Spirits were therefore high ahead of the early-afternoon clash on Saturday. Bournemouth were never going to be a pushover, however, and an early goal from the Cherries ensured the task for Howe and Newcastle was never going to be easy. What ensued, for the most part, was a bloodbath.
Only six minutes had passed when Justin Kluivert scored the first of his three goals on the afternoon, finding himself all alone entering the box from an Antoine Semenyo pull-back. Around twenty minutes later, Newcastle’s midfield talisman Bruno Guimaraes restored some hope with an equalising header from a corner, but this hope would prove to be false.
Kluivert netted twice more, before fullback Milos Kerkez finished the rout in the 96th minute of play. When it was all said and done, Bournemouth had put four past a hapless United and Newcastle’s fantastic winning streak was over at nine games. Let’s hope it was just a blip…
What Howe Said
Post-Wolves
“It was a tough game against a good opponent with a new manager and a new style of play. We had to be patient and show our quality to eventually break them down.”
On Isak breaking the club record for goals in consecutive matches: “It’ll get the headlines and rightly so because it’s an incredible feat and I’m delighted for him.”
“You need your attacking players to shine. They’re the ones that make the difference at the top end of the pitch. The beauty with us at the minute is we’ve got everyone contributing.”
On Dubravka’s performance: “I thought Martin had a really good game today. The save he made at 2-0 was key, because at that stage the game could still go any way.”
Post-Bournemouth
“We weren’t ourselves today at any level. Our performance was really disappointing. Physically, we were off.”
“We tried to make a number of tactical switches to try and get a foothold in the game, but Bournemouth didn’t allow that and they ran out worthy winners today.”
“I don’t think we’ll o too hard initially on the players because I think it’s more a physical issue than anything else.”
“It’s extra fuel for us to go away, work hard and fix it before the next game.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tkmkyTlEqw
The Rumour Mill
The Magpies have rejected a bid of £11 million from Fenerbache for defender Lloyd Kelly. (The Athletic)
Atlanta United of MLS hope to reunite with Miguel Almiron, and could pay Newcastle a fee of £11 million for his services. (The Athletic)
Juventus are also interested in bringing in Lloyd Kelly, although they have had a loan with an option to buy offer turned down. (Fabrizio Romano)
RB Leipzig have joined Spurs in the race to sign Southampton winger and Toon target Tyler Dibling (Sky Germany)
Youth prospect Travis Hernes has joined Danish side Aalborg on loan in order to gain first-team experience, while young defender Alex Murphy has joined League One club Bolton Wanderers on a loan deal until the end of the season.
On This Day…
On this day in 2017, it was Newcastle scoring four goals at home rather than the opponent, as Rafa Benitez’s all-conquering Championship side defeated lowly Rotherham United 4-0 at St James’ Park. I remember it well; it was my first season of having a season ticket at Newcastle.
Fan favourite Matt Ritchie collected a brace on the afternoon, with attackers Daryl Murphy and Ayoze Perez getting the other two to cap off an excellent display at home in a season full of excellent displays at home. Coincidently, Rafa’s side is one of only three Newcastle sides to have won nine games in a row, making it particularly relevant as we celebrate Howe’s recent feat with the current squad.
A Look Ahead to the Saints on Saturday
Southampton (A)
Three points on Saturday would do the world of good to a United side reeling and in disarray after last weekend. The fact that Newcastle do not have any mid-week fixtures to navigate is also a resounding plus.
Tired legs, the key driver in Howe’s opinion of what went wrong against Bournemouth, will get a chance to recuperate and come back stronger on the South Coast.
Toon Trivia
Well done to those of you who got last week’s trivia question correct! I asked you where Wolves’ new boss Vitor Pereira got his first big break in management. The correct answer is indeed FC Porto of the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
With a trip to Southampton on the horizon, let’s make this week’s question Saints-themed. In what year did the Saints move out of their iconic old stadium, The Dell, and into their new modern St Mary’s home?
That’ll be all for now. I’ll see you all next week when we can hopefully reflect on United getting back on track with a big three points on Saturday.
HWTL.
