I can see the appeal but I thought Stiepermann was quietly instrumental today. His size draws the CBs away from Pukki and his movement is excellent. He can be frustrating, but I think a large part of that is because he’s exposed in the middle and gets targeted. And that creates space for others.
Pukki punishes Newcastle Pukki had scored with three of his past four shots on target before this game but he was uncharacteristically profligate early on as Newcastle's defence struggled to handle Norwich's intricate attacking play. First, he flashed a shot wide from 12 yards before spinning Fabian Schar and hitting a shot too close to goalkeeper Dubravka. Newcastle failed to heed the warning signs, though, and the Finnish striker punished them in style on 32 minutes. It was a delicious strike from last season's Championship top scorer, carefully watching a loose header drop before unleashing a thunderbolt volley high into the Newcastle net. He tormented the visiting backline and underlined his finishing abilities when he clipped a shot into the bottom corner in the second half before sliding home his third with 15 minutes left. His tireless display even featured a potentially goal-saving challenge when he raced back to deny Joelinton a run at goalkeeper Tim Krul. After scoring Norwich's consolation at Anfield last week, the Finnish striker looks completely comfortable at this level. Stats Total Passes – 593 Completed Passes - 521
Just got back from game. EVERY player was outstanding today. Pukki obviously takes MOM for 3 goals,but my outstanding player was Mo Leitner. Role on FL Chelsea
If Pukki is injured are we stuffed? How good is the Swiss lad who is presently injured? Srbeney is unlikely to bring much to the table based on his Championship performances.
For me the team creates so many chances that both Srbeny and Idah could have a chance to shine. Both have scored goals at a lower level, but like so many others given a chance in this set up could do well. Maybe not as well, Pukki looks pretty much irreplaceable. But till they get the chance who knows? Bah!
But it isn't just Pukki. Cantwell, Buendia and Stiepermann could support and complement Drmic, Srbeny and Idah as well as scoring goals themselves, supported by Leitner, Trybull, McLean, Vrančić, with Max and Jamal providing the width. DF has a whole squad of players who can fit seemlessly into Farkeball and we haven't even seen Roberts and Amadou yet.
