Newcastle 2-2 Chelsea - The 'Index 6'
When I rocked up to St James' yesterday, I'd already said in various forms that a performance was the single-most important factor of the game; I had accepted that a defeat was the only possible outcome. A reaction after Wednesday's embarrasment was imperative, but who was to know that the Toon were actually going to walk away feeling like they had dropped 2 points against the Champions rather than winning one?!
In the first half particularly, Newcastle were fantastic! Many will say, as they do so often when this occurs, that Chelsea were poor; my retort would be, "Because we forced them to play that way!". They never really settled in the game until later on; Mitrovic was a constant thorn to their backline and they couldn't cope with the trickery and dynamism of the excellent Ayoze Perez.
Defensively we were very sound for long periods too. Kevin Mbabu was inspirational on his Premier League debut and Chancel Mbemba read the game like he'd been playing top flight English football for decades!
Here's the most important 6 points I think were raised...
1. 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 is the future
The players just knew their roles! As outdated as this formation might be, it still has a role in top flight English football and that was proved yesterday. Even Gini, who was pegged out on the left side of midfield knew his role in terms of attacking and defending. You help out your full back and double up at all times; simple!
We were so much sharper in terms of an attacking threat too - having Mitro back in the line-up kept us high and allowed that space in between their midfield and defense for Ayoze to 'do his thing'! Please, don't revert back to 4-2-3-1 Schteve!
2. The 'AA' partnership
These two were brilliant yesterday! The traditional 'big man, little man' combo worked an absolute treat against the champions, but not in the traditional way. I don't recall one instance where a long ball was flicked by Mitrovic for the anticipated running of Perez. Instead, Perez worked deep and usually not too close to the big Serb; this meant more players could get involved and kept Chelsea guessing as to how and where we were going to play. Mitrovic drew 9 fouls, over 4x more than any other player. While his goal scoring attempts were few and far between, his role as the no.9 was imperative to our style of play. He will be an extremely important player for NUFC this season!
3. Receiving deep
Not a moan, per se, but on a few occasions, you could see some of the NUFC players playing further back with their arms in the air, after spreading the ball backwards or sideways, in disarray at the absence of a black and white shirt showing for the ball. Colback, Anita and Mbemba all at some stage during the first half had a bit of a whine at the front players for not trying to receive the ball in deeper areas. As this formation and indeed our whole playing style & philosophy evolves, I'm sure this will improve with time.
4. Moussa Sissoko
This one IS a moan. Moussa Sissoko used to be a player that I really admired at NUFC and really looked forward to seeing pull on the shirt. In the absence of Yohan Cabaye two seasons ago, he stepped up and became an attacking force to be reckoned with, for Newcastle United. Where was this last season and where the hell is it now?
He was recorded as the fastest player in the Premier League last season, yet I don't recall seeing him even sprint yesterday, never mind beat anyone in a race! 11/17 passes successful, no chances created, one shot off target, no crosses, no tackles and no interceptions. What a waste of a shirt!
I honestly fail to see what this lad brings to the team anymore and I think it's time he was given his marching orders, in terms of first team inclusion. Put him and Thauvin together and tell them that the best player in training and in match form will play in the team. It's been diabolical for long enough now; time's up Mr Champions League!!
5. Kevin Mbabu
There isn't a lot of explanation needed for this one - the lad was fantastic! We've seen a few 'young ones' over the years make their debuts for NUFC, but I don't recall many like this!
Imagine the adrenalie rush after being told just an hour before kick off that you would be making your debut against the champions and an experienced Spanish international; Mbabu played with so much composure, confidence and passion. Just once did Pedro manage to get in behind or past Kevin Mbabu yesterday; the rest of the game the Spaniard was left frustrated and out of ideas.
Lets keep our fingers crossed that this wasn't a one off and that this lad is our future at full back!
6. Our crowd
The noise yesterday was mind-blowing at times! That's how SJP should be, every game! The return of Mitro definitely helped - at every opportunity the big Serbian was roaring up the crowd and the response didnt let the players down!
However, there are still those pockets of fans that are just too willing to jump down the players' throats if they make a mistake or the ball doesn't go forward quick enough. CHILL OUT!!
It happened a couple of times in the first half yesterday, when the ball went back to Tim Krul. We had been by far the better team, and we were awarded not long after with Perez's excellent finish. The last thing they needed, OR DESERVED, during their best half of the season so far, was the crowd getting on their back.
So please; chill out. The signs yesterday were very, very encouraging. Give them time and keep giving them your full support! They're going to need it!
