The stadium announcer at Murrayfield, a Scottish rugby enthusiast, was certainly excited before Newcastle United met Everton in a pre-season friendly. However, the 3-1 defeat certainly served as a stark reminder of the work still required, extending beyond just training pitches – a critical concern for head coach Matthias Jaissle, who came up against top-flight opposition just a week and a half before the new campaign begins. Jaissle emphasized a need for consistency across all areas of the squad, stating, ‘You all see the matches, you are also smart enough to see the needs in the squad.’
He explained that this was a crucial juncture, a ‘useful exercise’ designed to assess the team’s readiness, particularly considering the time remaining before the start of the season. Jaissle asserted a consistent approach, stating, ‘We handle these things internally. We are aware of what we need. Let’s see now. There is still some time.’
Jaissle highlighted a fresh look to the Newcastle side, particularly Bazoumana Toure, who impressed with his pace down the left. However, his team struggled to capitalize on a bright start, allowing Everton to open the scoring with a long ball forward from James Tarkowski in the 27th minute after Thierno Barry nipped in ahead of shaky Newcastle centre-back Sven Botman to race clear. Lewis Hall managed to get back to make a recovery tackle, but the ball was spurned.
The match continued with a goal from Harrison Armstrong in the 38th, a result of a drilled effort from Tyrique George. Jaissle was frustrated, gesturing to his players to go again, mirroring the patterns from his previous friendly against Valencia.
Jaissle, however, was frank about the situation, acknowledging that the team’s performance was markedly different following a summer of changes. He noted that ‘eight of the starters were aged 25 and under,’ while Joelinton, captained by the German manager, Ross Wilson, wore the captain’s armband, and Yoane Wissa, the oldest by a considerable distance at 29, were the oldest by a considerable distance.
He stressed that the team needed to return key players like Dan Burn, Lewis Miley, and Tino Livramento, but acknowledged that the trio are unlikely to all feature in the match opener against Liverpool. Jaissle stated, ‘We fill these positions we lost with the experienced players, but that’s also the process.’
Newcastle remains in the market for a right-back, an older central midfielder, and, depending on Jaissle’s assessment of the squad, potentially another addition beyond that before the window closes on September 1st.
Jaissle added, ‘If you make new signings at the end of the transfer window, they usually need time,’ he said. ‘Usually it takes time to adapt to the Premier League.’
Jaissle also addressed the issue of refs taking emotional touchline style, stating that the German manager is again referencing a ‘vacuum’ for the second time in two days following departures of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier.
‘You cannot change things really quickly,’ he said. ‘It’s a really young team at the moment so there are vacuums where players need to step up.’
Jaissle reiterated that the team needs to get rid of the players and the squad, but that’s also the process.
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Source: BBC Football
