Match Day Thread Monday Night Football away to Newcastle.

The performances will come with time and games - it's the in game management that worries me more.

 

Its not like its Brighton v palace just yet (and most of them were not alive when the first issue arose)

At least theres a canal to fight over with manchester

 

Its not changed since last year.

Play to score. Play to win well then relax nto your pattern

In the prem no game away is over until its over. Even at 2-1 we never raised it at all.

At home a lot of sides just need one spark but away they can drop the heads.

 

It is frustrating, we are not and never will be the City of 5 years ago who could just keep the ball forever and you lose.

No idea why we keep this up when it has gotten us into trouble so many times

 

Am I the only one who wasn't worried at the end, as I "knew" that we'd get a winner in injury time?

 

Before yesterday Newcastle had not beaten Liverpool in the last sixteen league games. Now seventeen league games.

 

This fixture is littered with late goals.

 

When you watch Ngumoha’s goal I’m impressed that he had the confidence to hit it across to the keepers left instead of to the keepers right when it looked a lot easier to get it on target and score

 

You wrong foot the keeper by doing that so great presence of mind too.

 

I genuinely thought we were going to lose, ultimate humiliation.

So it was all the more sweeter when Rio pinged that in

 

Wirtz seems to have struggled with the pace of the Prem, but I think he will come good. Grav was similar in his first few games for us as it is a lot faster in the Prem than any other European leagues

 

The ball was only in play for 40.8% of the game, the lowest % in a PL game since 2010, 40% - Stoke v Blackburn.

 

One of the tougher away games of the year is over.

However we have not lost at st James park since 2015 so 10 years now.

We drew last year with abysmal defending so this is better result for slot.

 

Just going back to that winning goal (having watched it again now the emotion as died down) and I've got to say, it was a fabulous team goal. Worked in tight areas in midfield to develop a bit of space of the right and create the opportunity, all one touch passing too. Lovely team goal

 

And how much of that... (going easy after going up) allowed our squad to stay fresh all season? As painful as it is to see us turn off in an individual game- is it deliberate say we stay competitive in 38 games?

 

Yes... but 10 minutes into injury time is pretty late!
The last few years- with injury time in all games lasting a lot longer than it did a decade ago has been really beneficial to us... I don't know the stats, but we seem to score more last minute injury goals than most teams.

 

Rat-arsed in the pub last night, so didn't post. Got up at midday and saw that social media is awash with how Newcastle were 'robbed'. I didn't expect Gordon to get sent off, not because he patently didn't deserve to get a red, but up until then, Baldy had given them every ****ing decision going.

Got to say though, I was utterly flabbergasted that 2-0 against 10 men, and we stopped attacking. 10% possession against 10 men, ffs, and their goals came as no surprise. But the number of times we got the ball on the break, sometimes with 4 or five breaking against three, and just gave them the ball back. Full credit to Newcastle, and Bruno in particular - dirty bastard, but a warrior. Souness-type performance. Ekitike was sound, but I thought Gakpo and Mo were hapless in that second half when we turned over possession - the old Mo, with Mane and Bobby, would have crucified Newcastle on the break in that 2nd half. Instead, we tried midfield tippy-tappy against a pack of hungry wolves. If ever a game needed Macca's cool head, this was it.

Seen some figures of Jones' performance that imply it was a masterclass - I disagree. One of the advantages/disadvantages of watching in a pub is that you can barely hear the commentary, so I can only go on what I saw, and that is that his backward and sideways passing was okay, but every time we had a runner free going forward, he denied the pass, or didn't see it, or simply muffed it up.

3 points though, but problems are there, especially in that midfield. Maybe it will get better, but I think we look unbalanced.

Oh, and Kerkez was ****e. This is not the player who was fantastic defending and going forward last season for Bournemouth. This has to be said. And we need Guehi, because if Real want Konate I'd let him go for £20m. never mind £40m.

 

It didn't.

It just.made them work harder in games for longer and they were still gassed.

 

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I think (hope) Slot is thinking long term instead of 90 minutes.