Newcastle Toons
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Newcastle United: Toon Takeaways from the friendly loss to Mainz 05

By Carson A Merk

BRADFORD, ENGLAND - JULY 26: Christian Atsu of Newcastle United during a pre-season friendly match between Bradford City and Newcastle United at Northern Commercials Stadium on July 26, 2017 in Bradford, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
BRADFORD, ENGLAND - JULY 26: Christian Atsu of Newcastle United during a pre-season friendly match between Bradford City and Newcastle United at Northern Commercials Stadium on July 26, 2017 in Bradford, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United tasted defeat for the first time this preseason after a 2-1 loss to Mainz 05.

For the first time this preseason, Newcastle United tasted defeat. They dropped a 2-1 result on the road to Bundesliga side Mainz 05. The hosts opened the scoring before a Jesus Gamez shot took a roundabout way of finding the goal. Unfortunately, Mainz would take the win late. The Magpies effort came and went throughout the match, and they paid the price against their best competition of the summer so far. Rafa will demand a better all around performance midweek against VfL Wolfsburg. It will be a good test for the constantly evolving club against another club in Germany’s top division.

Next: Discussing Mikel Merino with BVB Buzz

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Christian Atsu: His pace gave the Mainz backline fits. His cross began the sequence that ended with Newcastle’s lone goal. When he’s attacking defenders, he is a tough player to deal with. If he can’t secure a starting spot, he is a very dangerous super sub.

Jonjo Shelvey: In this match, Shelvey showed off two of his top attributes: his natural skill passing the ball and his passion. He painted the pitch with his distribution yesterday. When Mainz tried to press him and zero in on him, he continued to play well and didn’t mince words with his opponents. As we know, last year that got him in trouble, but as long as he keeps it appropriate, that showcases his love for the game.

Siem de  Jong: He was unlucky not to score early on for Newcastle United. Like Atsu, if he can’t force himself into the starting lineup, his playmaking and vision will be valuable tools off the bench this season.

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Aleksandar Mitrovic: The biggest critique on Mitro is his lack of consistency. After scoring midweek, he laid a massive egg on Saturday. His effort wasn’t enough and he was not focused. If Newcastle can get an offer they’re comfortable with, I will have no remorse about sending him out.

Paul Dummett: He was outran and outworked on Mainz’s first goal. Dummett got blown by and couldn’t recover. His play exemplified the lack of pressure Newcastle’s backline applied all match. Rafa wanted depth at the left back position and Dummett’s performance showed why.

Karl Darlow: Realistically, he probably couldn’t have saved the first goal by Mainz. However, in a match that he was a surprise starter in, he needed to have a superhero performance to convince Rafa he isn’t expendable. And while he made a couple decent saves, it was only an average outing at best.

Next Up:

Newcastle United will take on VfL Wolfsburg of the Bundesliga. They had to win a relegation playoff match last season to stay in the top division. They’re led by German national team striker Mario Gomez, who bagged a club high 16 goals last campaign.