Matthias Jaissle claimed that Newcastle United “dominated” the game yesterday following the 1-0 home defeat against Aston Villa. But anyone who watched it can see that wasn’t the case.
We didn’t have more possession, we had one more shot with less on target, and we created a lower xG. Not to mention what we actually saw unfold on the pitch, which was nothing short of absolute chaos from start to finish.
I feel sympathy for the man, because coming into a club in a transition period and inheriting the sort of squad he has done with a young, naive core whilst trying to implement his own system isn’t an easy task… but claims like that make it very hard to feel overly sorry for him.
Jaissle’s comments untrue?
Granted, we must note that Jaissle was referring to how his side played before Aston Villa scored, but even then his comment feels a little off the mark.
He was also way too complimentary to the way we played after conceding, suggesting we were on top and could well have won the game. In my opinion that is simply not true.
Jaissle used the word “controlled” which really couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, it is actually the lack of control the Magpies had which caused the most problems.
Why it’s concerning
By no means do I believe the German can’t see the things that are causing us issues right now, but it does concern me when I hear things like his comments yesterday as it feels as though he isn’t acknowledging that it needs changing.
Jaissle admitted the Magpies need to be better in front of goal, very true. He spoke about how open we were for large portions of the game and the lack of impetus that ultimately led to the goal, both also valid observations.
But I feel as though these are things he has spoken about in previous games this season, yet nothing has been done to fix them.
Most of the games we have played has been characterised by unsustainable transitions where Jaissle’s side look like they could concede at any moment. There hasn’t been an effort to fix the midfield structure.
The press, as I wrote about earlier today, has been completely dysfunctional for weeks. But we continue to apply it in the exact same way no matter what.
Defensively, this Newcastle team have conceded more shots than any other team in the Premier League and that has been the case for weeks now. But, with every passing game that issue only gets worse even though the defensive structure isn’t getting any better.
No adaptability thus far
Perhaps the biggest concern for me is that we have seen what happens when you have a manager who doesn’t want to change his system and continues to get the same results.
When Jaissle was brought in he had a decent reputation for being adaptable and adjusting his system depending on the opponent. We are yet to see that during his time on Tyneside.
It may be a case of wanting to establish a base to work off before he then becomes a bit more dynamic, but unfortunately I’m not sure he is going to have that sort of time in the role if things continue like this.
And, even though that could be his thought process, the fact that he is speaking so positively of the way his side are playing right now feels like a bit of an indicator that he isn’t willing to switch it up and try new things.
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