Saturday’s match ended Tottenham 0 Newcastle United 2.
Ahead of each game we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives following the game.
Plenty to talk about after this Tottenham one…
Goals from Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa in the second half giving Newcastle United a deserved three points.
On this occasion it is Mark Jankowski:
POSITIVES
Elanga and Wissa revitalised
What a difference a year makes.
Largely derided by our fans as fails last season, Wissa and Elanga have been absolutely pivotal in Newcastle’s bright start to the season. The game had barely kicked off when Elanga caused Spurs issues down their right-hand side and was unlucky not to score with a cross/shot that had Spurs keeper Kinsky desperately scrambling.
Play was a little bit sloppy towards the end of the first half, but after the half-time break Newcastle came flying out of the blocks with Wissa and Elanga instrumental in causing Spurs issues. Wissa sealed the points with a brilliantly improvised finish. A little more depth in the final days of the window and we could have a very exciting season after all.
Nico slots straight in
I’m not afraid to admit I was absolutely devastated when Bruno left for Arsenal. It wasn’t just because we’d lost our Captain and talisman, it was also about the fact that all the young players we had signed wouldn’t have the chance to develop alongside a world-class player.
The signing of Nico Gonzalez from Manchester City during the week filled me with some encouragement and after witnessing his debut performance, I am now very optimistic about what he can bring to the side.
He showed a calmness on the ball which had been missing for our first two performances and also showcased an excellent range of passing. If he can set the standard for the young players that we have playing alongside him, then the sky really is the limit for our midfielders.
Jaissle Ball
Even fans who were happy to see Eddie Howe continue in the role this season, such as myself, would have to admit that at times our tactics looked stale last season.
That can no longer be said following the arrival of Matthias Jaissle. We have seen some signs of how the German wants his Newcastle United side to play and today was the clearest demonstration of that vision that yet.
There was a clear game plan in place from minute one and while it was conceptually similar to that from last week, there were some subtle differences.
In last week’s performance we had great success with passes that moved in straight lines up the pitch. Today we really hurt Spurs with diagonal passing. Quick transitions are clearly going to be a key feature of our play under Jaissle but he seems open to creating variations within his style.
Photo by The Mag
NEGATIVES
Anonymous Barnes
All hree of my negatives are very minor because in truth today was one of the best away performances I’ve seen in a while, but I need to pick three, so here we go.
Harvey Barnes was instrumental in winning the game for us midweek and he was excellent today in many aspects of his performance. However, one criticism I do have of Barnes is that he rarely looks as dangerous when afforded the opportunity to start. He needs to find a way to have the impact he does off the bench when he is given a chance in the starting line-up.
If he can do that he’ll not only excel in black and white but also do England.
Where’s Bazou?
Given Barnes’ somewhat stunted attacking performance I was a little disappointed that Bazou Toure didn’t get a longer run out today.
I was itching to see him introduced at around 75 minutes last week against Liverpool and felt the same way today. I’m not sure if it was just Jaissle not wanting to disrupt a team in a winning position but I’d like to see Bazou earn the trust of the manager in these situations sooner rather than later.
Maybe I’m being a bit impatient but like I said there’s not much negativity about today.
Woltemade needs a goal
There are rumours swirling about a loan exit for the big German over the final few days of the window.
We’ll see what happens with that, but if he does stay past September, then the big man needs a goal ASAP.
I thought he did ok when he came on today but there was one moment when he was slipped in behind the Spurs defence and was let down by his first touch. A year ago, he would have shifted that ball out of his feet with ease but his dented belief saw him get it stuck under his feet and allowed Van Hecke to recover.