Newcastle fans have made some mixed comments after seeing Islam Slimani make his full debut in black and white during last night’s 1-0 defeat at Everton last night.
The Algerian’s time on Tyneside has been blighted by a problematic thigh injury, and after positive cameo’s in home wins over Huddersfield and Arsenal recently, he finally made his first start in last night’s defeat at Goodison Park.
Here’s some assessments of the striker’s performance from NUFC fans on Twitter:
Don't get me wrong, Slimani looked rusty tonight, but he's got the makings of a striker who'll suit Rafa's system very well. He's no slouch, he's a big, strong, able to hold the ball up + he'll come short and make runs in behind. Puts in a shift for the team too. #nufc
— Black&WhiteBarmy (@BlackWhiteBarmy) April 23, 2018
@Moroc_Mole – “Slimani has them shiteing it. That’s at least four mistakes he’s forced by pressing.”
@whyayeman1955 – “Loving the aggression & running of Slimani this 1st half.”
@NUFC360 – “Slimani has already shown that he’s quite strong, holding up some good balls.”
@jB4t00n – “Annoying that we likely won’t see a Slimani in full flow. He looks strong clever and eager, but also clearly lacking match fitness.”
@paulfraserecho – “That’s Slimani’s first start over and done with on the hour. He has shown plenty running and desire, without causing too many problems.”
@toonarmyblog – “Felt a bit sorry for Slimani, bit of a thankless task at times being our centre forward especially when we play like we did tonight.”
@angryZK – “Slimani still not 100% slightly off pace.”
@Iangregory70 – “Not convinced Slimani is any better than Mitro”
@MattRichtea – “Why the f**k did we start crossing the ball when Slimani comes off. Hardly see Gayle or Perez scoring a header against that defence.”
@RBanjeree23 – “And a striker remains the priority for the summer. Gayle and Slimani were both atrocious.”
@NUFC_Index – “Flashes of quality from Slimani, but he’s been ineffective on the whole.”
Have to say, Slimani looks twice as fast as Mitrovic. Didn't know he had that in his locker! #NUFC
— NUFC 360 (@NUFC360) April 23, 2018
What did you make of him folks?
