A worrying trend and £55m problem - Key takeaways from Newcastle 0-2 West Ham
Newcastle United slumped to a dispiriting 0-2 loss at home to a poor West Ham United side, who were just waiting for an opportunity to sack their largely despised manager (but will now have to wait) on Monday night.
Goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka sunk United in what must go down as the most disappointing defeat of the season as the lads appeared to just get worse and worse as the game went on.
Here are some of our key takeaways from the game:
- A Huge Momentum Killer
Just as the lads had appeared to pick up a modicum of momentum and they come crashing back down to earth with an almighty thump as the defeat is a huge momentum killer.
Following positive results and performances against Arsenal, Chelsea and Forest that made us believe we were 'back', United appeared to be building some form, consistency and confidence. But in a horrible reversion to the opening weeks of the season, (and specifically in a worrying listless, drifting 90 minutes), we let the game get away from us.
With Chelsea, Spurs, and Brighton all getting good wins over the weekend, the top six positions are more competitive than ever and this result is a setback, especially because West Ham weren’t even that great on the night.
- Worrying Similarities
United played okay for 10 minutes but then retreated quickly after Soucek left Lloyd Kelly for dead to nod West Ham ahead. The following 80 minutes displayed worrying similarities to the home defeat to Brighton – start well, concede a bad goal, miss a bucket load of decent-ish chances and then look lost, lacking a plan B and out of sorts while chasing the game in the second half.
Speaking to West Ham fans before the game, they were just looking for an opportunity to call for the sacking of their beleaguered manager (who is not well liked amongst the Hammers fanbase) yet United slipped up badly, much like they did against Pochettino’s Chelsea last season in a similar situation. It’s a huge worry, but the table is so close and there’s still loads to play for but United can’t afford to slip up this badly anymore this season.
- Midfield Quality Sorely Lacking
When you don’t start your £55m Italian international midfielder then there appears to be a huge lack of quality in midfield and it really showed on Monday night. Longstaff has a place in the team for games away against Forest, when a combative style of play is required against cloggers like Ryan Yates, but at home against a poor side who are determined to play a low block and counter, you need inventiveness and quality to unlock the opposition defence.
We needed that spark or a game-changer to breakdown a dogged low block, yet it sits on the bench, and the midfield three was chaotic all evening and was often overrun on the counter by West Ham. Too many midfielders kept swapping positions with Gordon, Willock and Joelinton all ineffectual.
It was frustrating. Even in the first half when we were largely on top, there was a clear lack of technical quality from Longstaff, Willock and Joelinton, who regularly missed the chance to punish West Ham with the space and opportunities they were afforded. It felt like United beat themselves in a toothless midfield display.
The Premier League is still ridiculously tight and despite the result the opportunity is still there for a small winning run to shoot United up the league, but results like those on Monday night heap huge pressure on the games against Palace and Liverpool. West Ham presented a banana skin on Monday night and United well and truly slipped up on it – hopefully they can put it right on Saturday.
