Newcastle 0 Atletico Madrid 2 ended the Saturday afternoon match.
For each game we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives after the game.
An interesting afternoon in St James’ Park …
A lot to talk about after this.
On this occasion it is Simon Ritter:
Positive
Anthony Luna
Each United fan must be impressed by the raw pace of our summer recruitment, especially in the first half, he started and ended by running to Ruggeri on the outside, skinning him and steering dangerous crosses.
If Elanga repeatedly engages the afterburners against Premier League full-backs, a few results are probably: he will win a free kick, his opponents will be booked or he will score or score a goal. What’s not fun?
Harrison Ashby
The 23-year-old seems to have benefited from his two seasons on loan at Swansea City and Queens Park Rangers, although he has not yet started 50 competitive matches.
Ashby usually played in midfield today and he offered energy, balance and speed in the first half against Athletico.
Could he be a ready-made replacement for Sean Longstaff or the wounded-again Joe Willock in a season that will stretch our resources to the extreme?
The wait is almost over
Okay, I am a bit clamped here, but the scenes before the kick-off in a sold-out St James’ park, with black and white flags that fluttered in the sun, because the local hero had been blown over the PA system, were enough to remind me why football is still important.
United will go to Villa Park next Saturday and has lost to Celtic, Arsenal, the K League All-Stars and Atleti, but at least we can look forward to a match that counts a lot.
Negatives
Dental, not ruthless
Fans of a certain age will remember the 1970s rear window sticker from Supermac with the legend “toothless but ruthless”.
We have matched Atleti in the first half without seriously testing their keeper, except from one powerful free kick by Kieran Trippier. Joelinton dominated his opponents in the air when we attacked, but was not at the target with three headers before we sent a fourth straight to the keeper. Harvey Barnes, Anthony Gordon and Elanga walked, just like Ashby, but nobody was able to score.
Gordon was advertised as the man who most likely played centrally in attack. He made countless sprints to close the keeper and defenders until he, a new lost cause in the last minutes, seemed to damage a leg muscle in a contactless incident. Unlike Willock, he walked off the field without clear pain, but the way in which he went through the tunnel asks me if he will be available for the big kick -off.
Serious opposition
For the last game for the season you want a good test.
There are little more difficult than the outfit of Diego Simeone, who have always been present in the Champions League for more than ten years. Atletico Madrid knows how to win and are willing to defend a management of honest resources and wrong. If a player beats you with skill, grab his shirt. Or leave a foot. Or dive to win a free kick.
In preparation for what’s in Europe, it might be a goal. Whether Elanga, Gordon and Barnes, among other things, enjoy counting their bruises today is another question.
Techno no no no!
First half good, second half not so good. The official coverage of the club died just before the first goal. Good old Radio Newcastle told us what had happened and no photos were needed to realize that the atmosphere had disappeared almost as quickly as the clean leaf.
By the time someone corrected the technical error, there were only 15 minutes to play, most of which were guaranteed to ensure that they would not admit. The new strip of United seems to be made of decent fabric; A shoddier product would have been split with the seams.
Final score:
Newcastle 0 Atletico Madrid 2
Goals:
Newcastle:
Atletico Madrid:
Alvarez 50, Griezmann 63
Presence:
51,584
Newcastle Team V Atletico Madrid:
Pope, Ashby (Alfie Harrison 61), Lascelles, Botman (Alex Murphy 46), Livramento, Trippier (Shahar 87), Joelinton, Tonali, Eleanga, Gordon (Neave 84), Barnes
Unused Subs:
Ruddy, Gillespie, Charlton, Kulol, Show
Newcastle United Pre-season Friendly schedule 2025/26
Saturday July 12 – Newcastle 4 Carlisle 0 (behind closed doors)
Saturday, July 19 – Celtic 4 Newcastle 0
Sunday July 27 – Arsenal 3 Newcastle 2
Wednesday, July 30 – Team K-League All Stars 1 Newcastle 0
Sunday 3 August Spurs 1 Newcastle 1
Friday, August 8 – – Newcastle 2 Espanyol 2
Saturday, August 9 – – Newcastle 0 Atletico Madrid 2
#positives #negatives #Atletico #Madrid #Newcastle