Well, that was something, huh? Eddie Howe brought change and Newcastle United put in a great performance against PSG.
Thiaw, Botman and Burn defended the box as if their lives depended on it. Hall was everywhere, Miley was fantastic at right-back, Ramsey was brilliant and Willock looked like a world beater.
The first 25 minutes were a grind. It felt like two fingers crossed for the powers that be to see Nick Pope save the penalty.
Vitinha was the only player who really looked class last night. There is an argument that he is the best midfielder in the world right now, and so it proved. He buried his chance and like Buendia this weekend we were far too slow to close him down.
PSG, aided by the Slovenian in the middle, kept pushing and probing and had a few attempts from outside the penalty area without creating many blatant chances.
We stood our ground, battened down the hatches, and started stretching Willock’s legs. A few times he made great runs into the channel and tucked it into the box without the ball falling kindly to any of our other lads.
In the first half, Woltemade was isolated and perhaps tried to apply a little too much pressure. He ended up getting bypassed regularly and taking himself out of the game, but I was impressed with a few hold-up plays and am still confident he will come out strong.
In the second half, especially with Gordon and Barnes in the side, big Nick looked more of a threat – not in terms of goals, but in terms of what he can offer in the build-up.
Then the goal – and what a perfect time to achieve it. Simple things in the end. Marquinhos took advantage of the defensive header and BDB’s quick thinking to nod the ball perfectly into the path of an onrushing Willock made the difference. Given his form over the past year, I would have wanted almost anyone else, but it was a brilliant header from a fantastically timed run, a real credit to him.
The second half was beautiful. We got them into an uproar. The centre-backs either side of Botman – Burn and Thiaw – started to press much higher when we were out of possession, and then started to join the attacks, with BDB in particular regularly running down the touchline. This allowed Hall and Miley to get inside more, which created overload in the middle of the pitch and helped us move the ball forward quicker. A very smart tactical move by Eddie Howe.
As much as the players deserve credit for the performance, last night showed how lucky we are to have Eddie in charge. He doesn’t get it right every game, but this was such a smart, nuanced and well-thought-out plan, and I don’t think there are many other managers capable of coming up with something at that level. Willock seemed to be given the perfect role for his skills: carrying the ball, galloping into space and then finding himself in a tight four out of possession. He was brilliant.
Elanga was also a good choice in that role. I’m glad he got the nod over Barnes because his pace was priceless. PSG’s defense often had one extra player back than they needed and I’m convinced this was to counter Elanga’s threat.
Ramsey looks like he’s settled in really well; he didn’t stop running, and there were several moments where I noticed him reading both the game and Sandro. He clearly has a real football brain.
The 5-4-1 – or 3-4-2-1, or whatever it was – looked great for us. I really think this can be the way forward, away from home, against good teams. I pointed out that Villa’s flexibility over our rigidity let us down this weekend, but I’m glad I made myself a hypocrite. Last night our rigidity made us dominant. Everyone had a job and they all did an excellent job. Show me what I know, eh?
If Willock had started his run just half a second later (another great finish), or the ball had fallen a little better for Barnes at the end, we would have celebrated a win well worth it. Although it wasn’t to be, that was an incredibly encouraging performance considering the run of games ahead.
I will briefly mention the referee and the VAR.
I try not to be conspiratorial, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult not to be. The penalty decision was baffling: it hits Barcola’s hand and then Miley’s from less than a meter away as he is running. I really don’t understand how anyone who has anything to do with football can impose this as a punishment. Marquinhos’s – although I don’t think it was a pen either – was much more convincing. His arm was away from his body, the ball traveled a long way before hitting him, and Woltemade didn’t touch him. The VAR checked it for about a second.
Elanga then received a yellow card for a foul. I’ve been watching and playing football for God knows how long, and I’ve never seen that in my life. He didn’t say anything to the bar steward in blue, so I have no idea what the yellow was for.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned much, but what I am sure of is the Doué stamp on Botman. Botman slid in, won the ball cleanly, after which Doué’s foot landed suspiciously on his calf. Personally, I thought it was intentional. Again, nothing from the VAR.
I’m not sure I would have given the Gordon penalty either, but I was more convinced by the Burn tackle. I thought they were supposed to crack down on the holding and wrestling in the box? Apparently not.
All in all, an evening to be proud of. On to Anfield with the same format and we may have a famous evening.
#thoughts #night #Paris