24 Jan 2021 08:21:16
Think most points have been covered about the performance last night. Personally I'd pick Nakamba for my MOTM not necessarily because he was better than Konsa, Targett etc but purely for being unrecognizable from the player we've seen in the past, composed, simple passing nothing flashy just went about his business in an understated manner but always offering himself for the ball. I don't know what's gone on with the training that we've seen such improvements in the likes of Targett, El Ghazi, Nakamba but whatever it is its working brilliantly.
This was highlighted by the post match interviews from Deano and Ollie- while praising the performance saying there's disappointment with the 2nd half. That says that there's that desire for further improvement and hints at the mentality of the squad which is in a good place at the moment.
Slight downside was Jack's reaction to being subbed with 3 minutes to go, hopefully its just because he wanted to see the match out and nothing more. But if El Ghazi, after playing brilliantly since being re introduced, can deal with being dropped for Barkley, then being subbed when the game is virtually over is a drop in the ocean.
Onto Burnley next and hopefully another 3 points as the Villa juggernaut slowly gains momentum ðŸ‘.
24 Jan 2021 09:02:37
Absolutely Moose. Almost like a new signing.
24 Jan 2021 09:14:47
If you need further evidence of the togetherness of this team, check out the Twitter banter between Dougie and Jack.
Dougie apologises for giving the ball away a few times, Jack responds with chill out we won. Dougie then posts a picture of Jack's face sat in the stands with the caption, what I feel like when being told its time to eat when playing call of duty . 🤣🤣🤣🤣.
24 Jan 2021 09:15:55
All of our defenders put in solid performances last night I can’t remember Newcastle actually creating a goal scoring opportunity in the entire game. For me Targett is the most improved player at the club, and I would go as far to say that he’s playing well enough to break into the England setup. Indeed our back 4 are entirely English, so perhaps one day we’ll see them all in an England shirt, it’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility.
I felt we eased off a bit during periods of the second half, but that’s perfectly understandable as there’s only a 3 day rest before the Burnley game, and it’s only a week or so since the club came out of isolation.
It was great to see Ollie get onto the score sheet, such a shame he was fractionally offside for another, because he finished it brilliantly.
There were a few doubting Traore’s ability after his first few games, I would hope they aren’t now. He looks classy on the ball, and I think it’s 5 now isn’t it he’s scored? That’s not a bad return for a winger, better than his namesake just up the road I think 🤔.
Whilst Nakamba didn’t do anything spectacular on the night, he was without doubt the tidiest player in the team, I don’t think any of his passes went astray and he always looked sharp. I would say he was definitely pushing Konsa for MOTM. I wonder, did he do enough to retain his place for the Burnley game with the imminent return of John McGinn? It’s certainly refreshing to see we now have so many options and that is soon to increase with the arrival of Morgan Sanson, oh happy days ðŸ˜.
24 Jan 2021 11:25:12
There's a good viewpoint of sticking to a winning team, which I do believe in, but Deano has definitely shown that he's not afraid to make those calls as shown with both Hause and El Ghazi in recent games. Plus the calls to replace both Barkley and Jack when I fully expected just a like for like change with Traore. Its refreshing to see that despite our misgivings, which we've all voiced, that with a bit of experience and patience our back up options are more than capable of stepping into the team. That's the sign of a team on the up ðŸ‘.
24 Jan 2021 13:52:57
I thought Konsa was our MOTM last night and I think it won’t be too long before either he gets an England call up or the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd come calling as they both need centre backs that can defend and Konsa’s stats are as good as anyone’s at the moment.
I have seen a lot of praise for Marvelous and his performance last night, and whilst he was quite neat and tidy but I always felt nervous when he was receiving the ball in tight situations whereas with Luiz and McGinn I always feel they are in control of those situations and look after the ball I didn’t when Marvelous found himself in those type of situations which to be fair wasn’t too often because Newcastle didn’t close down that well however better sides will and that for me is why the first choice pairing will always be McGinn and Luiz.
24 Jan 2021 14:19:19
Personally I’d like to of seen him play beside Doug against city, maginn was probably our worst player that night, I do prefer maginn for most games but against the likes of city I think he could do a better defensive job. either way he’s good cover, they can’t all start at the end of the day and we need solid guys on the bench.
24 Jan 2021 14:30:23
I think a lot of that nervousness comes from what we've seen in the past from Nakamba John as I felt similar last night. But the changes we've seen in him, El Ghazi, Hause and Targett to name but a few is encouraging and points to the upward momentum the entire club is showing. That plus coming into a confident, settled side with a clear way of playing is also a massive help.