E-book your seats now for Newcastle’s goalless draw at Brighton subsequent month! That’s three stalemates from three away from residence for Eddie Howe’s facet this season, and life with out Alexander Isak is proving as troublesome because it threatened to be.
Not solely are they struggling to attain, their shot rely on the highway is diminishing quick. That they had three on the opening day at Aston Villa, two at Leeds and one right here. This was a match that was there to be received within the second half, however they didn’t understand how.
That must be a priority for Howe, as a result of his game-plan of comprise and counter (and later management) labored nicely to some extent – to the purpose of making possibilities. Overlook about scoring objectives, the primary half of that eventuality is working openings, and Newcastle are attacking like a pen with out ink. Due to that, the scoresheet is clean.
Howe recognises that changing Isak with Nick Woltemade – two strikers with very completely different in kinds – is not going to be a fast transition.
‘Simply naturally we can be a unique crew attacking sensible with out Alex,’ mentioned Howe. ‘We can be attacking with a unique emphasis. Nick was very efficient right here together with his footwork and hyperlink play. He sees some beautiful passes. We simply have to know and get used to him and his type extra. We have to get extra runners off him, as a result of he’s excellent in that respect. I’m hopeful we’re evolving to a unique crew, hopefully a greater crew. That’s the plan, however it could take a little bit of time.’
Woltemade had 4 touches in Bournemouth’s space however no efforts on objective. Certainly, he has scored together with his solely likelihood up to now in black and white.
‘All centre-forwards to a level are reliant on their service,’ mentioned Howe. ‘Alex wouldn’t have scored a objective for us if we didn’t stand up the pitch and get the ball into harmful areas. We have now to do this higher as a crew. However after all Nick’s a goal-getter – his document final 12 months was very sturdy. It wasn’t a criticism of him at the moment, extra the crew. We obtained into some good areas, and areas we must always have completed higher from.’
Summer season signing Nick Woltemade had 4 touches in Bournemouth’s space and no photographs
Eddie Howe can be involved by Newcastle’s failure to create possibilities in opposition to Bournemouth
Magpies proper to really feel aggrieved over penalty declare
One in all Woltemade’s touches within the space got here within the split-second earlier than he made a declare for a penalty early within the second half.
The PGMOL says VAR has a excessive bar for intervention, and due to that you simply knew Bafode Diakite’s shirt-tug on the German wouldn’t be revisited and over-turned. It ought to have been.
A foul is a foul and the Legal guidelines don’t enable for a participant to drag on the shirt of an opponent, which is what Diakite did when Woltemade seemed to show and shoot together with his again to objective.
The referee, Robert Jones, had a foul angle with being straight on to the incident, however VAR didn’t. This was not a subjective name, both – he pulled his shirt. However as a result of Woltemade, at 6ft 5ins, has a giant, dishevelled jersey, that tug didn’t look significantly violent, and that’s maybe why it went unpunished.
‘My intestine intuition was a penalty, I used to be adamant it was,’ mentioned Howe. ‘He was tugged and it stopped him getting a shot off.’
Woltemade felt he ought to have been awarded a penalty after a shirt pull by Bafode Diakite
Thiaw strong on full debut as Botman stands out
On the flip facet of Newcastle’s failure to attain was a fourth clear sheet in 5. Certainly, they’ve conceded solely as soon as with 11 males on the pitch within the Premier League this season.
Howe deployed a again 5 with Malick Thiaw making his full debut and Sven Botman making solely his second begin of the marketing campaign, and each have been strong.
Botman doesn’t like his place within the pecking order behind Dan Burn and Fabian Schar, however this was a response that might level in direction of a run within the crew. If he can keep freed from harm, Newcastle might have their finest centre-back since Jonathan Woodgate, no less than that was the assumption throughout his impeccable debut season.
It speaks to his harm woes that, at 25, he’s but to be capped by Netherlands. He was the sport’s finest participant right here.
Malick Thiaw made his full Newcastle debut in a again 5 and produced a strong efficiency
Sven Botman was Newcastle’s finest performer and can hope to have put his accidents behind him
Semenyo symptomatic of Cherries’ show
As a lot as the sport felt there for Newcastle’s taking within the second half, the identical was true of Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth early on. It was shocking, then, that on the again of three straight wins they’d little confidence to transform on their promise.
Star participant Antoine Semenyo was symptomatic of their efficiency – he began nicely after which disappeared.
‘I have been using excessive for a bit bit,’ he mentioned. ‘The bar was set excessive. However there have been just a few alternatives. We needed to assault the area a bit bit extra, however it did not occur as a lot at the moment.’
Belatedly, in stoppage-time, the hosts had the primary effort on course of the second half when Nick Pope saved Justin Kluivert’s free-kick. It could have felt unjust had it gone in, for the sport obtained the scoreline it deserved.
