Newcastle United v Benfica - Official Build Up / Match Day Thread

Perhaps transport links are to blame for some of the early leavers. DT's town is essentially cut off from travel at 10:20pm.

Against Anzi we took til half-time to realise that the game could go to extra time and penalties, which would mean missing the bus and having to incur the expense of a taxi, and however long it would have taken to get one after the game... So we spent the whole second half trying to decide whether to leave after 90 mins and get home safe and with no extra expense, or stay and watch us probably go out on penalties anyway!

Fortunately Papiss scored with the last touch of the game!

 

Agree about transport links being a factor but when I was talking to them they were saying they never missed a game, so I was very surprised when they all got up and left.

 

The Benfica manager and president laying a wreath at the feet of the SBR statue. Total class.

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I think when thinking about marks, I personally look at opposition also. Benfica are a better more experienced side. They are a European heavyweight wtih a high level of technical ability. I expected them to have a fair bit of possession. I think I have to give them a huge amount of credit for how they approached the game last night. They went high tempo with outstanding pressure on the ball early doors.

Due to our tiredness we struggled to match this but they paid for it late on. Tactically we were spot on, we kept ourselves in the game and had Benni managed to slam home that chance, we're through. its small margins against a top top side. I agree you can't go overboard giving out 7 's and 8's everywhere because we were outplayed for an hour.

However Cisse played well all night and scored. So a 3 is just mindboggling. I'd mark him down to a 7 because despite scoring, working his socks off and holding it well, the offsides just frustrate the **** out of me. Krul made one mistake all night and got away with it. But he made a few very good saves at 1-0 to keep us in the hunt and in the first half when they were in control. 6 or 7 fair. Willo never put a foot wrong until 10mins to go when we cruely exposed him to two players running at him. Not his or anyones fault, it was **** or bust time. He won every header and never gave the ball away once. That is unheard for him.

I just think everything has to have context. Not only in opposition, but also relative to the limits of an individuals ability and how the evolves. That said we all see these things differently.

 

Pure class on and off the field as I said on another thread

 

Very nice to see.

 

Now let's go and stuff it right up that lot down the road to round off the week in fine style, in front of what will be a third 50,000+ Gallowgate crowd in eight days. YES.......
And not forgetting all those who sadly cannot be there in person, but who nevertheless will be willing the lads on, heart and soul from every corner of this country and beyond.
TOON TOON !!

 

Absolutely, the context counts. Benfica allowed us opportunities to attack, and our invention, precision and overall quality was low in the final third until Marv and Ben Arfa came on. I expect Newcastle, against whatever team, to be able to string dangerous passes together in the opponents half (they can but defend well), and get good crosses in, but we made very few chances because we didn't do it well enough.

Cisse's mark is relatively unaffected by the fact he tried hard, just as is the case with the others. I don't see that as requisite for getting a good mark, but as a requisite of a professional footballer in the modern game. It's expected. I could try hard, but I'm not going to give myself a 7. The fact remains that he was caught offside 4 times from 5/6 chances we made for him. When a team is creating so few chances, the striker can't spend all night in an offside position, because when the odd chance does come, you're screwed. What made matters worse was the fact he was openly aggressive with the assistants who called him offside all night, despite them being 100% correct, and thus he picked up a tame yellow and wasted time.

I saw potential in his performance, like I've said, because that's the most instinctive finishing he's ever exhibited in a game, but his overall performance in the game was inhibited by a distinct lack of intelligence which rightly detracts from his mark. He did come back with ok effect, but lofted balls to him were wasted... In the first half he petulantly let the ball roll past him and into Benfica possession because he wanted a foul, he took a very poor touch from Bigi's pass, got in the way of Cabaye's attempt early on (when Cisse was offside) and put in a few poor passes and lax chipped crosses.

If Cisse scores and supplements attacks by staying on side, he's worth a seven. While he squanders chances and stays offside, he deserves a lower mark in my opinion.

You must have been at the game. I can tell this because on replays you can tell who's winning headers properly. Willo lost a few headers yesterday, mostly against the Benfica CBs when they came up for corners, who out-muscled him at every set-piece (he was given a foul for absolutely no reason). He was out of position a couple of times before the goal and, despite playing it short (or leaving it to the ever deeper Cabaye), he actually gave the ball away a couple of times with his usual hopeless long passes. He was ok overall, and has a good rating from a tough rater.

On Krul... He's screwed as a keeper, because I know what I like in a keeper, having played in the position and having had a brother who excelled in the Leeds Academy as a goalkeeper. Elite sport compared with casual amatuer is irrelevant, because elite players can make basic errors, and while they face better outfield players, it's obvious what they should and should not be saving. Krul made saves I expect a keeper to save. I don't fawn over a shot directed straight at the keeper as a "great save", nor claim "great catch" when he grabs an easy lofted free-kick 2ft above anyone's head. I compare such with an outfielder making a three yard pass, I expect successful completion. If I think an amatuer keeper should save it, then an elite keeper should save it and shouldn't be praised because he does so.

When Krul makes an outstanding save, beyond what I expect a keeper to save, he gets very good points. He will get slightly less if he takes care of everything I expect him to save with minimum fuss and makes no mistakes, because that's what I regard as standard. Making a basic error for a goalkeeper tends to have worse consequences than anywhere else on the field, and as such he gets low points when making such mistakes, as he did yesterday. Apart from the situation where he almost gifted Benfica with an open-goal, he also failed to impose himself with his regular authority at set-pieces (usually his best attribute), putting Willo under-pressure.

I also felt that while he was unlucky with the goal to a certain extent, he could have saved it. He spread himself over the ball essentially, which isn't getting the basics right. It was straight at him. Krul misses quite a few of these types of goals, probably because he's quite lanky, but then he can make up for it with a ridiculous save later. He didn't do anything above what I expect last night though.