Andy Walker, color commentator for Peacock and others, turns "poor" into a two-syllable word pronounced something like "poo-aah." And he used it a lot in describing Newcastle's performance against Everton. And it applied to many other sides as well.
Newcastle did make a bit of a recovery mid-week; others not so much.
Too many results coinciding with an uptick in work. Yes, that sounds like an issue of priorities. I'll do what I can.
Shades of Mediocrity (apologies to Simon and Garfunkel)
An apt description of Newcastle's performance in a 3-2 loss to Everton. Yes, it was great they came back from 0-1 and 1-2 deficits and that they pretty much dominated the second half. Then you realize both goals came on massive deflections, they stumbled through the first half and despite getting off 16 shots, they managed an xG of only 1.0. As in, their finishing remains very poo-ah. Pope's howler that allowed Everton's second goal was pretty bad too. But the hardest thing to take is that Everton's second and third goals came just two minutes and one minute after netting the equalizers. For a side that used to be solid defensively, that just isn't good enough.
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| Will Osula: Danish treat for Newcastle Photo: Adam Vaughn/EPA |
half but got a sense that the Magpies had the run of play to the point. I tuned in just in time to see Aaron Ramsey get a second yellow for simulation and an early exit. Demonstrating some resiliency, they continued to attack and Gordon won a PK which he neatly converted. Alas, they allowed Casemiro an open header on Fernandes free kick just before the halftime whistle and we entered the second half with trepidation. Surprisingly, it was Newcastle that remained the attacking side, to the point where Jon Champion had to observe "isn't this the period where Newcastle are supposed to be outplayed?" This was a good back and forth contest despite the man disadvantage. The draw was broken by an incredible solo effort by Will Osula, seen here as this week's YouTubeableMoment. We like it so much here's another view from right next to the goal. The three points were well-deserved. Also, this is the first win Newcastle has ever gotten in an EPL match that Bruno Guimaraes didn't start.
No Fun In Birmingham
Aston Villa more than matched Newcastle's mediocrity with two home defeats. They were moribund in the absolutely lifeless 0-2 loss to Wolves. There were better moments against Chelsea and they even had the lead for a time. But four straight from the visitors left the Villans on the short end of a 1-4 score. I speculated that the recent poo-ah run of form for Villa is a measure of John McGinn's true worth. Dennis added that maybe Tielemann's value is also being revealed in this spell.
Wolves at least proved to be equal opportunity destroyers, handing a stoppage time set back to one of Villa's key competitors - Liverpool. Game winning goal can be seen here. Wolves are making a move to avoid relegation but the phrase "too little too late" probably applies here.
And Then There's Burnley
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| Kayode Ugly: Michael after the first of his two own goals for Burnley |
Chelsea Recidivists
After noting last week that Chelsea had the worst disciplinary record in the EPL, the Blues added four more yellows and a red to their tally in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal. Throw in two more yellows against Aston Villa and will likely extend their lead as the most undisciplined side.
Biggest New Manager Bounce Evah?
With a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, Man United have garnered 19 out of 21 possible points since Michael Carrick took over and remained undefeated during his tenure at Old Trafford. Of course, I wrote this before Newcastle's unlikely 2-1 win at Saint James' Park on Wednesday. Still, a pretty good start for him.
New Manager Thud?
Spurs on the other hand are waiting for any kind of bounce under Tudor. They fell behind 2-0 to Fulham, got one back and looked in the running for an equalizer but came up short once again. Home against Crystal Palace, they took a 1-0 lead, saw van de Ven sent off for DOGSO at 38 minutes and gave up three goals before halftime. Unthinkably, they are now just one point out of the relegation zone, though at the moment they have the tiebreaker against both West Ham and Nottingham Forest. The home match versus Nottingham Forest on March 22nd looms massively large right now.
In Case I Missed It
I forgot to point out last week that all nine of the EPL sides advanced to the Round of 16 in their respective European competitions. This includes Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Spurs in the Champions League, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the Europa Cup and Crystal Palace in Europa Conference League. This should help their league coefficient and keep that fifth Champions League spot?
I Mentioned the Bisque
Jeff K and I attended the Union match versus NYCFC on Sunday, weather wasn't awful, we had the sausage sandwiches, yada, yada, yada. The yada, yada, yada of course is that they lost 1-2 on a stoppage time goal.
We were correct in asking where the Union goals were going to come from. Yes, they did manage to score against NYCFC but it was a PK (according to Dennis that was a soft call but made up for missed call earlier). With limited replays at the stadium, Jeff K and I really couldn't be sure.
It's early and the U have a history of slow starts. Still, this side seems to have a lot of holes. The depth at center back will be tested as Makhanya has to serve a one-game suspension for picking up two yellow cards Sunday afternoon. With two red cards in two games, are we the Chelsea of the MLS?
FA Cup and European Competitions
No EPL as we have the 5th Round of the FA Cup on the weekend and the Rounds of 16 for Champions League, Europa Cup, and Europa Conference League midweek. This will be "fun" for Newcastle as they will face Man City on Saturday in the FA Cup and Barcelona on Tuesday in Champions League before returning to EPL action against Chelsea next Saturday.
The full FA Cup fixture list is here. Matches are mostly sequential if you want to catch all eight. Not so much with Champions League; fixtures are:
March 10
Galatasaray vs. Liverpool (1:45 p.m. ET, 5:45 p.m. GMT)
Atalanta vs. Bayern Munich (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)
Atlético Madrid vs. Tottenham (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)
Newcastle United vs. Barcelona (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)
March 11
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Arsenal (1:45 p.m. ET, 5:45 p.m. GMT)
Real Madrid vs. Man City (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)
Bodø/Glimt vs. Sporting CP (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)
We'll be focused on Newcastle but neutrals might go with Atleti - Spurs on Tuesday. Probably Real Madrid - Man City on Wednesday.
Villa get LOSC on Thursday.
Just realized DST starts Sunday at 2 am. Like I can really afford to lose an hour right now.
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