A sluggish display in South Korea as Newcastle United made it three pre-season defeats on the spin in a 1-0 loss to a K-League XI earlier today.
Tough conditions and 90 minutes that didn’t ease many fears around our desperate need for signings, with the game featuring a few poor showings, one or two lively cameos and one worrying injury. Here’s our ratings out of 10:
Starting XI
Pope (6) – Was much busier than he would have expected. Distribution was slightly improved which will need to continue with the expected arrival of Aaron Ramsdale
Krafth (5) – Was caught out of position on occasions and didn’t offer much of a threat going forward. Swedish link up wasn’t quite where it was expected to be down the right.
Lascelles (4) – Ran ragged for the goal and should’ve dealt with the danger much better. Very much 4th choice centre half, but will be rusty after a long spell out.
Murphy (5) – Shaky first half which included an awful clearance which should’ve been punished. Looked more comfortable in the second half when we had more control of the game
Livramento (5) – Uncharacteristically caught in possession on numerous occasions and failed to link up with Gordon on the left. Rare poor performance
Miley (5) – Worryingly shrugged off the ball on several occasions. For his size he needs to improve his strength on the ball. Ended up playing on the right side of a back three in the second half, bizarrely.
Tonali (6.5) – Best of a bad bunch from the starting XI. Ran his socks off but again was wasteful in possession with some uncharacteristic giveaways and a few wayward shots.
Willock (4) – Unfortunately looked to have suffered a serious injury right at the end which just capped off a poor performance. Wish him well as he is due some luck on the injury front
Elanga (6) – Erratic and clearly working on combinations but also looked our most likely avenue in attack. Looks a good fit for our system and will improve with time
Gordon (5) – Awful in the first half but did better in the second as he was given more of a free role. Ran his socks off but no end product which has become all too common lately
Osula (5.5) – Struggled to get into the game in the first half but had a couple of chances to equalise. Definitely not ready to lead the line just yet
Substitutes
Ashby (7) – Did well when he came on. Knows he’s fourth choice right back but was tenacious in the tackle and put in a few good crosses.
Thompson (5) – Didn’t have much to do but one shaky clearance indirectly led to the injury to Willock
Hernes (6) – A tidy cameo without pulling up any trees.
Seung-Soo (8) – Very lively! Immediately took on three players and forced a corner. Showed speed, exciting dribbling and real urgency. Did more of note in 10 minutes than most did all game. Our new boy from Korea looks quite a talent.
Harrison (NR) – On in added time for Willock.
Elanga, Tonali decent, willock awful (why has he not been moved on?) lascelles was poor completely off the pace, the rest were much of a muchness,, can’t judge anything off pre season, but it’s very worrying that we’ve brought in another keeper, who in my opinion is no better than what we have, no central defender and it’s looking increasingly like we might need two central defenders as botmans injury record is now looking very worrying, we need cover for full back and cover for midfield as well as a striker (this is before we loose anyone) the management at the club has been abysmal, after the circus of last summer with Guehi, this summer we now have missed transfer after missed transfer and our top striker been tapped up,, What has Eales been doing? I realise he’s seriously ill (and I hope he makes a full recovery) but if that the case he should have stepped down 10 months ago.
MorpethMag(Quote)
Taking this long to replace eales is strange but it would have made zero difference to transfers. We are now at the stage where the cartel (minus spurs probably for now because of their stadium cost and Levy) are so far ahead financially thanks to psr they are going to be assembling super squads and buying multiple top players every summer for huge £££ and wages. This is the start. We have suffered from that hugely, it’s simply £££. Villa are the same and I read moyes earlier saying Everton thought they would have drawing power with their new ground but they have missed ‘many, many’ targets. Even spurs have only got kudos. Maybe we should have let them F off to their super league after all…..
East stand(Quote)
It’s tough watching another pre-season defeat, especially when there’s little sign of cohesion or urgency from the starting XI. Players like Seung-Soo and Ashby definitely brought some spark, but overall the performance raises serious concerns ahead of the season. Injuries like Willock’s are the last thing we need right now.
In moments like these, being mindful of small wins matters — whether that’s a strong sub performance or even something simple like staying consistent with healthy choices off the pitch. Speaking of which, I recently found the Chipotle Menu, and it’s a great example of staying balanced while still enjoying bold flavors. Let’s hope the team finds that same balance soon — energy, clarity, and results.
Lily Ava(Quote)