"Player of the weekend" - Troy Deeney picks out Newcastle duo but MOTM left out
A Newcastle United player was Troy Deeney’s “player of the weekend” as he picked his Team of the week for BBC Sport.
The Magpies were without midfield pair Sandro Tonali and Joelinton for their thrilling clash with Nottingham Forest on Sunday, but Eddie Howe’s reinforcements staked their claim for more gametime in an excellent 11 minutes in the first half.
There was a surprising omission from Deeney’s selection as one of Toon’s standout performers was ignored by the ex-Watford forward, and his second inclusion didn’t make a whole deal of sense either.
Deeney picks Newcastle pair
Lewis Miley was the best player over the latest Premier League weekend according to Deeney, with Eddie Howe being selected as his manager of the week.
It was the first league start of the season for the 18-year-old who suffered a broken foot last summer, yet he looked like he'd been playing for years as he showed composure on the ball, took his goal superbly and won several duels in a calm yet dominant display.
He grabbed the equaliser, and the game by the scruff of its neck as he commanded the midfield during our rapid-fire four goal spell, with Deeney feeling it was a mature "coming-of-age" performance.
Deeney on Lewis Miley (Newcastle): “Player of the weekend. Yes, he scored against Forest but he was excellent. At 18 years old it was a coming-of-age performance - he was mature, kept the ball well and ran over people. He made a few mistakes but that was fine, he carried on going and didn't let anything affect him.”
Deeney on Eddie Howe (Newcastle): “Newcastle have been on a good run and have won 13 of their past 16 games in all competitions. When they had that massively disappointing second half when they lost to Brentford in December, he spoke about having a chat with the group. Really cleared the air, really honest, probably cut-throat I would imagine, but then to go on and win as many as they have is massive.
“He orchestrated a Newcastle team that has potentially moved into the top four. They're closing down Forest who are third, and closing down Manchester City. You wouldn't bet against them finishing in the top four, and potentially beating Liverpool in next month's Carabao Cup final.”
A huge win for us and a superb reaction in the first half to go 4-1 up, but whatever Howe said in the dressing room at half-time evidently didn’t work as we looked shoddy at best in the second 45 - it was as if we had already won.
Maybe a slightly odd call to give Howe the accolade, though it did ultimately see us go level on points with Man City and three behind Forest, perhaps especially considering Graham Potter masterminded a 1-0 win at the Emirates with West Ham.
Lewis Hall robbed?
Man of the Match in the clash with Forest, Lewis Hall, didn’t do enough in the eyes of Deeney to earn a spot in his team of the week.
Hall was a sensation at left-back and epitomised Newcastle’s identity under Howe. Going forward he was involved in three of our four goals, while his intense energy at the other end saw him make several vital tackles. He was everywhere.
Here are some key stats that saw Hall rightly be awarded MOTM by the Premier League, and with 81% of Toon fans in agreeance in a post-match poll on nufc.co.uk: Most touches (93), most tackles won (5), most crosses (8), joint most duels won (10), joint most chances created (3).
In the left-back role in Deeney’s XI? Djed Spence, who got his name on the scoresheet against Ipswich...playing at right-back. Oh, Troy...
