A New Newcastle?

Strange but entertaining midweek results; strangest of all was the Newcastle win.  Lots of interesting stuff, so little time.

Hmm, Toffee Pudding

Though I had low expectations, the Newcastle - Everton match ended up with a tasty finish.  Started the match with a bad feeling.  After a back and forth first half, Lascelles own goal at 36 minutes did nothing for the pit in my stomach.  Fortunately, Newcastle responded well with an own goal of their own, though we would argue that Lascelles header put the ball in the right direction.  Would have been one of the stranger braces of all time if the goal had been credited to Jamaal.  Ryan Fraser's goal in the 56th minute gave the Magpies the lead; this was not a pretty goal but at least it wasn't an own goal (or wasn't it - looks like it might have come off a defender).  Newcastle had been the better side but there was still plenty of time left.  That's why Kieran Trippier's goal was so special; well, that plus it was an awesome strike, an easy choice for this week's YoutubeableMoment (always like the view from the stands at St. James, Park).

Allan Saint-Maximin was at it again
Photograph: Simon Davies/ProSports/Shutterstock

So many positives coming out of this one.  Though it didn't always feel like it while watching, the stats other than possession, say this was clearly a Newcastle win.  Matt Targett put in a great shift as Dummett was unavailable due to injury.  Joe Willock didn't get on the scoresheet but was a force throughout.  Interested to see if Howe drops Willock or Shelvey when Guimaraes starts.  My guess is that it will be Willock but both have strengths and weaknesses.  And of course, there was Allan Saint-Maximin creating havoc all over the place.  Center back remains a vulnerability - Lascelles's lack of speed and inconsistency was on display again.  This is still a work in progress.  Will we see Burn and Guimaraes on Sunday?

How Would We Know?

I've heard people say a two-goal lead is the most dangerous lead.  Opta says it's just not true.  I never bought it.  But then I realized, what would I know about a two-goal lead?  First, it means you have to score at least two goals; Newcastle have done that in just five of 22 games.  Second, you actually have to get ahead by two goals.  Well, until the 80th minute against Everton on Tuesday, Newcastle had not held a two-goal lead at any point in the season.  Anecdotal I realize but Newcastle now are 1-0 in matches in which they had a two-goal lead.  Myth busted.

Just Call Him "Bruno"

Bruno Guimaraes made a brief appearance on Saturday.  The announcers called him something along the lines of gim-MAH-resh.  This clip suggests something different that I can't phoneticize.  But frankly, I could barely understand the accent of the guy who introduced the Portuguese speaker.  Come to think of it, why would I go to a Scotsman with a linguistic question?  Robin Williams (NSFW) knew better.  In any case, we may have to stick with Bruno for the time being.

What Happened to Jack Sparrow?

No more Jack Sparrow for Dele Alli

Dele Alli made his first appearance for Everton on Tuesday. It was not well received by their fans.  On the one hand, it was his first game without his Jack Sparrow locks.  On the other, as suggested in this article in the Guardian, this has been a trend.  Money quote for me is :

And yet somehow every run, every missed link and dead end is shot through with a horrible poignancy, with the sense of something vital mislaid.

I'm not rooting against him, but am convinced that though Newcastle need more pace up front, Dele would not have been a good desperation January signing for us.

I Love a Good Track Meet

Settled in to watch Aston Villa host Leeds on Wednesday with several thoughts.  One, let's see Villa continue to establish themselves as a rising power.  Second, both play attacking football so this could be a track meet.  Third, a Leeds loss would keep them within shouting distance of Newcastle.  As it turns out, only the second one was realized.  

Villa were just missing on some terrific through balls and then found themselves down 0-1 after a nice move by Daniel James.  Mildly disconcerting but I felt like it was a matter of time before the passes clicked and Leeds' defensive vulnerabilities were exposed.  And that's exactly what happened.  Between 30 minutes and 43 minutes, the Villans poured three goals past Meslier.  It was the Coutinho - Ramsey show  Coutinho got the first, then assisted on Ramsey's brace.  Check out Ramsey's first here; not taking anything away from the finish but how about that pass?  Daniel James completed the first half the of race game with his second in stoppage time.

Villa kind of lost the plot in the second half.  They also lost one of their No. 10's - Buendia - to injury after a whack.  Side note, Jared Gillet apparently has a "high" standard for what constitutes a foul.  I won't say it was biased but his conservative use of the whistle seemed to benefit Leeds more than Villa.  And, it was hardly surprising that the hacking got worse and tempers flared near the end.  But I digress.  An equalizer definitely seemed in cards.  Tyrone Mings looked like just a slightly better version of Jamaal Lascelles, first making a critical save off the line to preserve the lead, then minutes later, putting a weak clearance right onto Llorente's foot, who quickly provided Leeds with the tying goal.  Konsa got himself sent off late for stupidly interfering with Meslier distributing the ball.  Fortunately, it did not cost Villa the draw.

So I got my track meet but Villa's performance was definitely a mixed bag and Leeds managed to grab a point.  The good news is that Villa rallied well after going down a goal and showed some incredibly skilled attacking football.  They also continued to be plagued by lapses in the back.  Where have I heard that before?  Moving in the right direction I guess.

The Saints Go Marching

Meanwhile, in London, Tottenham and Southampton were putting on a wild display that likely pleased the neutrals and certainly Southampton fans but left Spurs fans cold.  Tottenham were looking good enough, even if they weren't playing all that great, after Son put them up 2-1 in the 70th minute.  Then, suddenly a pair of crosses by the master, James Ward-Prowse, four minutes apart put Southampton up.  Late game heroics specialist, Steven Bergwijn, looked to have come to the rescue again with a stoppage time goal only to see it ruled out by VAR - correctly - for offside.  The 2-3 final looks a bit harsh on Spurs, but even a draw at home against Southampton would have been an unsatisfactory result.

It's a Good Thing We Won

Results elsewhere would have been massively dismaying had not Newcastle already picked up their three points.  Burnley grabbed a point at home against the completely enigmatic Man United.  I didn't see the match but the stats suggest that Norwich were a bit lucky to come away with a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.  At least Watford lost, barely (0-1), to West Ham.  Though not officially in a relegation battle yet, Brentford fell 0-2 to Man City.

A League of Their Own

As noted, Man City beat Brentford and Liverpool sputtered a little but bested Leicester 2-0.  Even with wins by Arsenal (1-0 over Wolves) and West Ham, the two biggest gaps in the table remain nine (between first place Man City and second place Liverpool) and seven (between third place Chelsea and fourth place West Ham).  Man United, Tottenham and Wolves all dropped points in their chase for fourth place but it's not like West Ham and Arsenal are pulling away.  All of those five have problems of one sort or another so this probably goes down to the wire.

But, Officer...

I feel a rant coming on.  In the Wolves - Arsenal match Thursday, Gabriel Martinelli managed to get sent off for two yellow card offenses in the space of five seconds.  The play can be seen here.  First, Martinelli clearly interferes with the Wolves player taking the throw-in.  As a reminder, cautionable offenses include:

failing to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a dropped ball, corner kick, free kick or throw-in

You can clearly see Michael Oliver signal advantage after than infraction.  Wolves have an attack going so stopping play to show Martinelli a yellow would be unfair.  Also, very little judgment required here; is there any doubt that Martinelli interfered with the throw-in?  Move to part II, in which Martinelli chases down Chiquinho and pushes him from behind.   As a reminder, cautionable offenses include:

commits any other offence which interferes with or stops a promising attack

Play is stopped and Oliver then issues the two yellows.  The fact that Oliver didn't have the chance to show Martinelli the first yellow before he committed the second is irrelevant.  He committed two yellow card offenses.

The pundits are having a field day and opinion seems to be divided.  Many in the camp who think this was harsh are saying that they would not have a problem if the incidents had been separated and Martinelli had gotten a yellow so he knew he was on a yellow.  So you agree it was two yellow card offenses but don't like that he got two yellows right away.  But officer, you didn't arrest me after I robbed the first person so I didn't know it was a crime so you can't charge me for the first robbery.  The player doesn't know he might get a yellow?  RTFM.  Another said no one from Wolves would have run over to Oliver if he'd only shown one yellow.  That's nuts.  My first reaction was that he's going to get two yellows and if I was a player or manager in that situation, I would have asked the referee which of the two infractions he thought didn't deserve a yellow. I heard the word "foible" bandied about.  Not completely sure what they mean but I think it's something like yeah, it's in the Laws of the Game but Oliver was being pedantic in actually enforcing it.  Um, it's there for a reason.  This was a 1-0 match, Wolves had a chance for a break with a quick throw-in and Martinelli deliberately interfered.  How is that pedantic?  It's a textbook example of why it's in the law.  Here's a thought.  The rules provide sanctions for specifically these kinds of bullsh** actions by players and good on Oliver for enforcing it.   If it deters this kind of behavior going forward, excellent.

BFS Derby

Ruh-roh - Coutinho likely to be healthy for Newcastle match

Not exactly a dream set of fixtures this weekend and all the matches but one on Peacock as opposed to USA - stupid Winter Olympics.  But, it does include a BFS derby with Newcastle hosting Aston Villa Sunday at 9.  A few weeks ago, this looked like a joke.  Now, 538 has it 35% Newcastle, 39% Aston Villa, 26% draw; I would take a draw here in a heartbeat.  Personnel available still very much up in the air.  Trippier is likely out with a calf injury; Matt Targett is ineligible because he can't play against his parent club.  Villa will be without Konsa due to suspension and may be missing Coutinho and Buendia.  Last news I saw made it sound like Coutinho would play and Buendia might be available.  Also sounds like Bailey might be back as well.  

My choice for the neutrals is Tottenham - Wolves, Sunday at 9.  Both are in the hunt for 4th in the table, both are coming off disappointing results. 538 has Spurs as big favorite here but I'm not so sure about that.  Critical game for both, especially Wolves.  Another loss in a six-pointer for them could be the end of their Champions League hopes.

There are two matches of importance in the relegation fight, though some of the participants may think otherwise.  Brentford - Crystal Palace (10 am Saturday) looks like a very competitive match.  After a great start, the Bees are gravitating to the drop zone; they got 12 points in their first seven matches but have just 11 in their last 17, including five straight losses.  They are only six out of 18th and have played more matches than any of the clubs behind them.  Palace are a little better off and a win here would probably separate them from the threatened.  The other contest of note here is Everton - Leeds also at 10 on Saturday.  There is no doubt Everton are at risk; Leeds are too, just six out of the bottom three.

Man City and Liverpool should get easy wins; Newcastle fans certainly hope so as they face Norwich and Burnley respectively.  City has the feature NBC match at 12:30 while Liverpool are Sunday at 9.  We are also looking for Brighton to take all three at Watford (Saturday at 10).  

Logic says Man United should handle Southampton at home (Saturday 7:30) but both of these sides have surprised - United in their continued underperformance and Southampton with schizophrenic form.  538 says Leicester - West Ham (Sunday 11:30) should be close but the Foxes have disappointed all year.   West Ham have been uneven so maybe on the road this one will be close.

Midweek action as Man United host Brighton on Tuesday (3:15 Peacock).  Logic again says Man United should be good here but who knows, plus, all together now, Brighton (regardless of weekend results) will go in with the fewest losses of any but Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Plenty of Europe action during the week too.  Tuesday and Wednesday have two Champions League fixtures each.  Thursday has 8 Europa League and 8 Europa Conference League contests.  Upcoming CL fixtures are here; PSG - Real Madrid is probably the most competitive of this round.  Europa League action is listed here; can't say anything really grabs me, except to ask what the heck are Barcelona doing in Europa?

Geez, bad time to get busy with projects.  Starting to affect my viewing.