Elite players are difficult to come by for any club, including Newcastle United.
So when you lose one of them, it is especially tough to take.
I am of course talking about Kieran Trippier.
When I talk of elite players, to be more specific I mean elite footballers.
My definition of them is football players who have the class and quality to retain the ball under pressure, to have that inner confidence not to panic. When many fans are shouting “Get rid” and “Launch it”, elite footballers will instead do the brave thing and keep the ball, not just get rid.
If you continually just get rid and launch it, you will lose the vast majority of football matches at the top level. It is unsustainable if you just keep giving the ball back to the opposition when you are under pressure.
It is an unfair comparison when comparing him to an exceptional player like Kieran Trippier but the fact is that Emil Krafth perfectly proves the point. I have frequently heard Newcastle United fans sing the Swede’s praises over the years, how he “Always does a job”, how he “Never lets us down” and so on. Emil Krafth is a wholehearted player who always give it everything BUT reality is that his everything is limited.
Emil Krafth will run all day but when he has the ball he will always want to get rid as soon as possible, he will launch it when put under pressure. This isn’t a big criticism, it is just fact. That those who fall below that elite level, this is what they will do. They will look to give the ball to those who are elite footballers and if none of them are available to easily pass to, giving away possession will almost certainly follow.
Bottom line is that if you want to be an elite team, you need as many elite footballers as possible.
In the current squad, I would say these are the elite Newcastle United players, the elite footballers.
These are in order, with the most elite and then in descending order:
Lewis Hall, Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier, Sandro Tonali, Lewis Miley, Jacob Ramsey, Anthony Gordon, Fabian Schar.
Lewis Hall is just a whole other level. He is completely fearless, willing to take the ball in any situation, keep it and glide away from trouble so effortlessly. The lifelong Newcastle United fan is simply wonderful to watch.
Bruno Guimaraes is clear next best. He thrives on the responsibility, his teammates repeatedly search him out and the United captain is brilliant. Much is made by some Newcastle fans on the very rare occasions when Bruno is caught in possession, but to me this is simply inevitable when you consider the ridiculous number of times he takes possession of the ball, so often in tight spots. The positives outweigh the negatives a million times over. This is why Bruno is so badly missed when he isn’t playing, due to the fact he takes on so much responsibility every match, always ready and willing to get the ball. The Brazilian is season after season the most fouled player in the Premier League, due to two things. Bruno takes possession so many times in tough places and the only way to try and get the ball is by fouling him.
Kieran Trippier is another. At full-back it is such an important position in modern football, often some of the most talented players in a team will play there, as they are so often the key to attack the opposition as well as their defensive duties. Kieran Trippier improved every team he played for, whether that was Burnley, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, England, or Newcastle United. To paraphrase a popular chant: “He gets the ball, he keeps the ball Kieran Kieran Trippier.”
Sandro Tonali is a class act and when playing at his best, like Bruno it is only by fouling him that you can take the ball off him.
Lewis Miley is an incredible talent. For a teenager and a player so tall, his ability and composure on the ball is exceptional. I struggle to think of many occasions when he loses possession. As a 17 year old thrown into midfield in the Premier League and Champions League, he dd unbelievably well, moved this season to be an emergency full-back, same result.
I really like Jacob Ramsey and he is a cracking player, lovely to watch as well. The over the top negativity surrounding NUFC has seen the fact lost by so many, that Ramsey has shown for months now just how good he is. He is getting better and better all the time and yet some United fans want to believe it is only a handful of games.
Anthony Gordon is also very good in terms of receiving the ball and showing quality and composure, he though so often gets the ball fired at him from distance and when hemmed in on the touchline with his back to goal and trying to take a man on, so his keeping possession stats are never going to be equal to certain others. However, when you balance what he is trying to do in the most difficult parts of the pitch, his touch when combined with electric pace makes him an elite footballer.
Fabian Schar is immense on the ball, especially for a central defender. He would have looked comfortable playing for any top team and we should all be so grateful that Rafa Benitez picked up such a huge bargain via Schar’s £3m relegation release clause when the Swiss defender was at Deportivo. The elite teams especially value elite central defenders who have quality on the ball. For example, I have no doubt that this past decade Fabian Schar would have excelled at Manchester City and helped them win countless trophies, maybe even more than they have done.
Newcastle United have some other class players who I wouldn’t describe as elite footballers. However, the likes of Tino Livramento with his incredible pace (and no small amount of talent) and Joelinton with his physicality and all round game, they have proved invaluable in different ways. Dan Burn of course another, just how good has he been for NUFC these past four years and more?
Anthony Elanga is more of a chaos player and one who thrives on pace and ground to run into, I think he will be a far better player for United next season. Nick Woltemade has made a very good start and I think next season we can get him a lot more in and around the penalty area, whether as the sole main striker or as a partnership, then his quality on the ball and close control can pay bigger dividends. We have already seen some elite touches and assists on the ball from Big Nick, plus a range of quality finishing. To talk of him as a failure after starting 33 games for Newcastle so far and scoring 10 goals and getting five assists is just beyond laughable. This season has been a huge challenge at times for Nick Woltemade and Newcastle United as a team, but far better to come next season, when not up against the overwhelming odds that playing so many games and having so many players injured has presented.