Toon Takeaways from the 2-0 loss to Leicester City
By Durim Halimi
Down go the Toon, yet again. Newcastle United looked like a mediocre side against Leicester City today.
The clash between Newcastle United and Leicester City ended in favor of the Foxes who strolled into St. James’s Park and claimed a 2-0 victory on the road. Leicester City played with more confidence and composure for the majority of this match, while Newcastle struggled to develop an offensive rhythm.
As expected, most of the competition in this match was in midfield. James Maddison had a great game for Leicester City, as did Harry Maguire. As for Newcastle, only a handful of players displayed good quality.
Top Toons
Mohamed Diame – The Senegalese midfielder played well this afternoon by recovering the ball in most duels and he came close to scoring a header in the first half.
Matt Ritchie – Ritchie was brilliant today and his passing skills were on full display down the wing. Benitez made a mistake by replacing the Scottish winger in the second half.
Christian Atsu – Like Ritchie, Atsu played extremely well this afternoon by delivering some good crosses, maintaining good possession on the wing and playing with urgency for 90 minutes.
Mediocre Magpies
Ciaran Clark – The Irish international defender struggled all afternoon with his poor clearances, indecisive passing and he allowed Harry Maguire to jump right over him to score a goal.
Jonjo Shelvey – Shelvey did not live up to his reputation as the Magpies’ offensive coordinator today. His passing accuracy was off and he looked second-best to Diame in midfield.
Joselu – Joselu tries, and he is applauded for that, but he lacked confidence as a striker today, especially when he wasted a golden opportunity in the penalty area in the first half.
Quick Kicks
– Newcastle struggled to create scoring opportunities in this match (six), which keeps the Magpies in the league basement in terms of attempts.
– Matt Ritchie looked stellar at an individual level with his quick crosses and good vision to create passing lanes for others near the wing.
– Christian Atsu finally started playing the way supporters expected him to play. His good performance will make it difficult for Kenedy to win his place on the wing next weekend.
– For the duration of the match, Newcastle completed 374 passes with 72% accuracy.
What’s Next?
Newcastle United must forget this match as their next opponent is Manchester United. The Magpies will travel to Old Trafford to face an angry Red Devil squad that lost to West Ham earlier today. Newcastle United are experiencing a major crisis at the moment and it is difficult to predict a victory for Newcastle next weekend if they continue playing this way.