Jaissle says Sean Steur is "knocking on the door" and explains Newcastle's midfield approach
Matthias Jaissle says Sean Steur is "knocking on the door" for selection, while backing Nico Gonzalez after Newcastle's 4-1 defeat at Coventry.
Gonzalez replaced Steur in the only change from the side that beat Hull, with the Dutch midfielder left on the bench. Thursday's press conference brought a question about his chances of getting back into the team.
Steur making his case in training
Asked about Steur, Jaissle said:
"He is not pushing me but of course he is knocking on the door due to his quality. He shows that during the training sessions. We have so much fun and joy in the future here but he also needs time. He has up and downs already and Nico did well against Coventry despite the result."
Joelinton is also pushing for a bigger role after his return from injury, so Jaissle has several options as he looks for a response against Aston Villa.
Jaissle says Newcastle used two No.8s
Newcastle's midfield setup has come under scrutiny, with Jamie Carragher suggesting another midfielder should come in for one of the forwards after Monday's defeat.
Asked whether he had a No.10 in the mould he wanted, Jaissle explained:
"We work it out always. But last time we played more in a 4-3-3 with a double 8, like the lads used to play in the last season. We had that approach already in the previous matches from time to time.
"We're quite flexible in that approach, always due to our profiles, the players who are starting, but also it's always a matter of how the opponent is defending, where are the gaps, where we see potential to explore these spaces the opponent is giving us.
"So we will be always flexible and I mentioned it in the last press conference that sometimes we're talking about a position five metres higher or lower, if you're talking about an eight or a 10. So I don't want to discuss too much about the formation, more about our principles."
On the defeat itself, he pointed to individual errors:
"Never easy now after conceding four goals to talk about structure and what causes us the problems. In that match against Coventry we made too many individual mistakes so you cannot talk about the system or tactics. Even though we are a young squad we need to learn fast."
There is scope for the midfield to look different on Saturday, even if the formation on paper stays the same. Whether Steur returns, Joelinton starts or Gonzalez keeps his place, finding a combination that gives us more control against Villa is one of Jaissle's biggest challenges.
