One 4/10 and two 7.5s - Newcastle player ratings vs Bayer Leverkusen
A disappointing start to the Visit Malta Weekender at St James' Park, as Newcastle United struggled in a 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.
Matthias Jaissle's Mags looked like a side missing Bruno, a natural number 10, leadership and several signings, highlighting how much work we have to do ahead of next Sunday's opener against Liverpool.
Here are our marks out of 10 and comments on each player involved in yesterday's pre-season friendly.
Starting 11
Hornicek (6) - Inauspicious St James’ Park debut for our new first choice after conceding within the first minute. Will be disappointed by the concession of the second goal but overall he looked ok. Communication issues from earlier in pre-season seem to have been ironed out. Looks assured in possession which is a welcome change!
M. Miley (7.5) - Has been the surprise of pre-season putting in some assured performances at right back. Got stuck in, strong positionally and looked composed. On form, he has leapfrogged Shahar in the pecking order and might not be too far off starting against Liverpool.
Thiaw (7.5) - Assured in defence and looks to be relishing being a leader in what has quickly become a very youthful looking squad. Took his goal well and will need to keep up a high level of performance for the whole season.
Botman (6.5) - Awful pre season for the big Dutchman but he was fairly assured against Leverkusen. Needed a performance without any howlers and could find himself out of the team against Liverpool either way new captain Big Dan Burn waiting in the wings.
Hall (6.5) - Sloppy in possession and never quite clicked for him. Really hope his head hasn’t been turned and he has a big season because there isn’t many other options in the squad right now.
Steur (6) - Did some good things in possession and showcased his passing range but also had moments where he looked like an 18 year old. Was turned inside out for what turned out to be the winner and will need to work on his physicality to match it with the elite. Fantastic prospect and we should rightfully be excited.
L. Miley (6.5) - Really great to see him back after a lengthy lay off. Given 45 minutes and looked understandably rusty, but will need to be managed carefully. Can’t afford another injury hit campaign.
Elanga (5.5) - Such a frustrating player as you can see the talent but he just hasn’t quite been able to make it click. Needs to lift his head up when crossing the ball! Lovely corner for the Thiaw goal, could be a useful weapon off set pieces after losing Trippier, Bruno and Tonali.
Barnes (5) - Ineffective and will be watching Toure against Strasburg with great interest as he may have played himself out of the starting line up. Nothing worked and he was handled with ease by the Leverkusen defence.
Wissa (7) - Has looked much more like the player we bought last summer, showing sharpness and a willingness to run that we didn’t see last season. Has played quite a bit in a No.10 role, much like he did for DR Congo and could reprise that role when the season kicks off next week.
Woltemade (4) - If the appointment of a German manager was to be the catalyst for a resurgence in form, then it looks like that has failed miserably. We all want him to do well, but he was very poor, both on and off the ball. Balls were bouncing off him, and he looks ill-equipped to handle the pace of games. Finding a way to get the best out of him will be giving Jaissle sleepless nights. A really tough watch.
Substitutes
Finneran (6) - Highly touted academy product seemed overawed at first before growing into the game a bit more. Looks like he needs a loan spell in the lower leagues to acclimatise to senior football on a more regular basis.
Pivas (NR) - Came on at right-back in the closing stages after Mason Miley cramped up.
Neave (NR) - One nice lay-off to Wissa in his short cameo, injecting some life into a role Woltemade struggled in.
