Five takeaways from Wolves 1-2 Newcastle: Eddie's 11, ruthless move and unsung hero
Newcastle United picked up all three points on the road to jump up to third in the Premier League. In what was another back-to-the-wall performance, two sensational second half strikes from Fabian Schar and Harvey Barnes turned the game on its head to the delight of a rapturous away end.
Wolves had taken a first half lead through a Mario Lemina goal, which came via some poor Newcastle defending, in what was an unspectacular first half. Eddie Howe made a triple change at half time which gave United the platform they needed to complete the comeback in the second half.
Here are our five key takeaways from the game:
- Eddie’s triple change (and the wrong starting eleven)
Eddie Howe showed a much-needed ruthless streak at half time; he saw how wretched Newcastle had performed in the first half, despite having 75% possession, and wrung the changes. They were badly needed: Longstaff hadn’t won a single ground duel in the first 45, Isak couldn't continue and Joelinton was a walking red card waiting to happen.
The triple change gave the lads the platform to turn the game around although it took two wonder strikes to do so. Considering just how poor the lads had performed towards the end of that first half, it was vital Howe made early changes, so he must get credit for making them to alter the flow of a game that was starting to get away from us.
Unfortunately, Howe must take criticism too, as he got the starting eleven completely wrong yesterday. After a solid opening ten minutes, the lads lost all urgency and pace from their play and conceded another terrible goal from a defensive point of view. We were too open, too weak in the tackle, and too slow to react to danger. There was also confusion and frustration as to why Tonali and Barnes were benched.
So far this season Newcastle have been a ‘moments team’ and have yet to string a coherent 90 minutes together. The gaffer needs to start picking his strongest ‘starting’ team.
- Young fullbacks showed they still have a lot to learn
Newcastle have two young fullbacks, in Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento, who will go on to become top class footballers, butn they showed the naivety of youth against Wolves.
Livramento kept inverting throughout the game, forcing Sean Longstaff into right back. It didn’t work, it left huge spaces for Wolves to exploit on the counter, it nullified his strengths, and I never want to see that tactical setup again. He was also flying into tackles too, barely winning any of them, and conceding fouls deep in our own half. He seemed like a jittery, headless chicken in what was one of his poorest performances in Black and White. Trippier noticeably improved the side when he came on.
Lewis Hall was sloppy in possession and was vulnerable to the ball in behind or over the top of him throughout the match. Team selection needs to account for Hall’s weakness at this stage of his development, as you don’t want to suppress his attacking ability. He needs a quicker left sided centre back next to him to cover for him or a strong recovery runner, like Joe Willock, in front of him on the left of the midfield three.
- Will the result alter the media narrative?
A narrative seems to be building around Newcastle United that things aren’t right behind the scenes. Whether it’s a ‘civil war’ or the teething problems of a new regime, the narrative has the potential to develop into a trashy soap opera on Tyneside if results stop coming.
Yet, winning masks everything. Everyone in football will tell you that, everyone in football will also tell you that winning games when playing poorly is the sign of a good team.
If we can go on a run of six or seven wins in a row, something they have shown they’re capable of doing across the last two seasons, then surely the sky is the limit, and the narrative will certainly develop into something much more positive.
- The value of an excellent shot stopper
Nick Pope is England’s best shot stopping goalkeeper, unfortunately he is one of the weakest with the ball at his feet. Wolves’ fans could sense his nervousness throughout the game and tried to pressurise him at every opportunity, leading to a couple of hairy moments, rushed clearances and some poor distribution.
However, the save he makes in second half stoppage time from a Cunha volley, is why he is invaluable to this current Newcastle side. This team, which still includes four players from the previous era, is not good enough to have a different type of ‘keeper between the sticks at the minute. If Newcastle had Andre Onana or Jordan Pickford in goal yesterday, they would’ve lost the game.
Statistics say, on average, a ‘keeper’s saves are worth seven to eight points a season. Nick Pope earnt Newcastle two alone yesterday and comes away our unsung hero from the match in my book
- Still stuck in 2nd gear
Ten points on the board. Newcastle’s best start since 1995/96. Unbeaten. 3rd in the league. However, the team still haven’t got out of 2nd gear in a single game this season. Southampton aside, which was understandable given the early Schar red card, United have struggled – struggled to press as a team, struggled to put passing moves together, and have struggled to restrict opposition chances.
Man Utd stunk their way to an FA Cup win last year, playing well only a handful of times across the entire competition. Can Newcastle do something similar this season? Obviously, we would all prefer the team to play incisive, attacking football and win matches comfortably, but if the lads can keep finding ways to pick up points, then does how you play really matter?
Ultimately, in football the final score is everything and Newcastle keep finding ways to pull positive results out of the bag. Long may it continue.
Howay the Lads.
