![]() Quite what sort of team he will be able to put out against Bournemouth at the weekend remains to be seen. Howe had two goalkeepers and four Academy players on the bench against Dortmund. Newcastle’s squad already looked thin for a Champions League club in September, but the loss of Sandro Tonali to a 10-month ban and an ever growing injury list is stretching them to breaking point. Realistically it already means they are going to have to win away to Paris St-Germain at the start of December to prevent their final fixture, at home to AC Milan, becoming nothing more than a shootout to see who finishes third in the group and drops into the Europa League after Christmas.Įven that would be an achievement. A second successive defeat to Borussia Dortmund means Newcastle’s interest in the Champions League could soon be over. This felt like a performance from a team running out of gas as well as players. With Sabitzer creating a two-on-one against Livramento, the 27-year-old took it on himself and found the bottom corner. Adeyemi did well, delaying getting rid of the ball to allow Julian Brandt time to sprint forward into the Newcastle half. That may well help explain why Dortmund scored a simple second, after Kieran Trippier’s free-kick failed to clear the first man. Too many looked like they were fatigued and Howe admitted that the turnaround, after Saturday’s teatime victory over Arsenal, had been too quick for some of them. Howe’s side were doing most of the attacking but their play lacked the usual zip and penetration. Newcastle appeared to be the better side in the second half, with Dortmund content to soak up pressure and play on the break. Nick Pope had already made two saves to deny Füllkrug and Karim Adeyemi but they were both stops you would have expected him to make in the middle of his goal. He could not recover, Sabitzer managing to pull the ball back for Sabitzer to finish from close range. After some neat interlinking through the middle between Marcel Sabitzer and Niclas Füllkrug, the home side were in behind the Newcastle left back. Newcastle had a right-back playing on the right-wing in Livramento and the 18-year-old Lewis Hall at left-back.ĭortmund’s first goal came down his side. When you are tired you make mistakes and when you have lots of injuries, players are forced to play when they are not ready or in unfamiliar roles. They have got so many injuries, players are being flogged and they appear to have lost another to the treatment room after Callum Wilson was withdrawn at half time. They looked tired and it is easy to see why. Newcastle did not create much, but they still did enough to have taken something home with them from their trip to Germany. And it was a failing harshly exposed in the glare of Dortmund fluorescent yellow shirts. The problem against Borussia Dortmund was that the one big weakness in Joelinton’s game – remarkably so given he was initially handed the club’s iconic shirt – is his finishing. Ask Howe who the most important players are in his squad and it will not take him long to mention Joelinton’s name. ![]() He will soon be rewarded with a new contract and nobody would argue he does not deserve one. Joelinton has been superb under Eddie Howe, a key cog in the team’s rise and has become a hugely popular figure on Tyneside. That was until he was transformed from a misfiring striker into a dynamic, all action midfielder. He was a source of embarrassment not pride. For more than two years the Brazilian struggled, written off by the club’s supporters and mocked by their rivals. Signed as a centre-forward and given the No 9 shirt, Joelinton cost £40 million when he arrived from Hoffenheim but never looked like justifying the fee with goals. ![]() As much as everyone at Newcastle United has come to love Joelinton this was a night that reminded everyone why he spent two years being mocked as a flop.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |