Anthony Elanga’s struggles at Newcastle United continued during the Premier League draw with Chelsea on Saturday.
Clearly, the dramatic nature of Newcastle United’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea means there are narratives to have emerged all over the pitch, and Elanga’s cameo is not the most important one.
Indeed, the fact that Newcastle keep throwing points away in the Premier League even despite playing well is the much more pressing issue.
Who was Newcastle United’s MOTM against Chelsea?!
Strange to say there are a few choices given the result!
Still, Elanga is playing like a man without any confidence right now and one particular moment was a symbol of just how underwhelming his time at the club has been thus far.
Anthony Elanga’s 89th-minute mistake for Newcastle United against Chelsea
Again, this is not to blame the entire result on Elanga. That would be incredibly harsh, given he was only brought on in the 73rd minute
Nor is it to blame him for lacking confidence. Elanga has failed to impress Newcastle fans and playing your way out of that tension cannot be an easy thing to do.
Still, his lack of confidence was evident in the 89th minute.
If you could go back in time and tell Eddie Howe one thing during his half-time team talk, what would it be?!
With the score at 2-2, Aaron Ramsdale launched a brilliant throw to release Elanga on the counter.
His speed took him up to the penalty box and while Marc Cucurella defended the situation well, the Sweden star surely chose the wrong option.
Seemingly eager to impress, Elanga cut back inside and shot at goal, all while Harvey Barnes and Joe Willock were breaking into the box.
Elanga’s shot went wide, and Barnes looked somewhat frustrated about not getting the ball.
It may seem harsh to pick up on one moment from a 90-minute game in which Elanga barely featured, but these are the fine margins at the top level.
Anthony Elanga isn’t doing what Eddie Howe said he would at Newcastle United
Eddie Howe hasn’t made many bad signings for Newcastle and, with time, Elanga could prove to be a success.
In fact, Howe has often backed Elanga to come good for Newcastle.
However, we are now 25 games into his Newcastle career, and there haven’t been many reasons to get excited.
It would be unfair to ignore his bright moments against Everton and Union Saint-Gilloise but it’s not really enough to build a case for him just yet.
Given the obvious and audible frustration with him from Newcastle fans at times, it’s going to be difficult for him to turn it around anytime soon.
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