Before Sunday’s
game at home to Aston Villa Newcastle had not scored in their last four, had
conceded 10 in their last 3 and had not won at St James’ Park since Boxing Day
of 2013 against 9 man Stoke. Fortunately for Alan Pardew, good early season
form had cemented a mid-table position and his job didn’t seem to be under too
much pressure, that said Newcastle fans were beginning to grow restless and
another home defeat could have spelt the end for Pardew.
Newcastle have
been without top goal scorer Loic Remy for the past three games following his
suspension against Norwich. His goals have been sorely missed, Newcastle lacked
any real class up front, with Gouffran the only other striker to have scored
this season and he was missing for the most part through injury. Unsurprisingly
it was Remy who popped up with a last gasp winner for Newcastle,
turning what would have otherwise been a disappointing point into a vital win.
Remy has averaged
the most shots per game (3.5) in the Newcastle squad, his form couldn’t be more
contrasted with fellow striker Papiss Cisse. The Senegalese international, who
looked like a revelation when he first arrived on Tyneside now looks devoid of
any confidence, as illustrated by the simple chance he missed against Villa.
Cisse is averaging just 1.6 shots per game, half as many as Remy on average,
that’s the difference, Remy has the confidence to take the shots on whereas
Cisse doesn’t. On Sunday Cisse had 2 shots, 1 of which was on target, whereas Remy had 7 and 3
on target, further demonstrating Cisse’s lack of confidence.
Whether or not
Cisse will be playing for Newcastle next season hangs in the balance and will
largely depend on whether he starts scoring in the second half of the season or
not. He was linked with a move away in January and that could become reality in
the summer. Although that may depend on whether or not Newcastle can retain the
services of on-loan Remy from QPR, his performances this season have been top class
and merit playing in the Champions League, I wouldn’t be surprised to see
Arsenal make a move for him.
Pardew also had
the chance to welcome back club captain Coloccini, the 32 year old Argentinian
had been missing since the start of the year, in that time Newcastle shipped 15
goals in 7 games, 2.14 per game on average. Coloccini adds considerable
experience to the defence, his organisational and leadership abilities have
certainly been missed in the last few weeks.
Against Villa,
Coloccini made 4 tackles and 4 interceptions, giving him the highest combined
total in the Newcastle team. His defensive contribution didn’t stop there, the
Argentine also made 5 clearances and won 2 headers, on more than one occasion clearing
what looked like a threatening situation for Aston Villa. His performance was
aided by that of Mike Williamson, who recaptured some of the form which had
seen him become so indispensable to Pardew. As always Williamson was imperious
in the air, winning a staggering 11 headers, stopping the aerial threat Benteke
posed in the process and he made 8 effective clearances, the most in the
Newcastle team.
The partnership
at the heart of the Newcastle defence has been so important all season and without
it they look lost at the back, that’s down to Coloccini, he’s the most
experienced of the back four and he’s such a big asset for Newcastle when he
plays in the kind of way he did on Sunday.
The third
returning player was Cheick Tiote, the Ivorian added some much needed steel to
the centre of Newcastle’s midfield. That’s something which has been lacking in
recent weeks and is especially important when the two Newcastle central
midfielders have been facing three.
Defensively,
Tiote was sound, making 5 tackles (the most in the Newcastle team) and 2
interceptions, breaking up the play in the centre of the park is one of his
most important jobs for the team. His discipline is still an issue, he
committed 5 fouls on Sunday and picked up his customary yellow card in the
process of doing so.
An area of Tiote’s
play which is often not appreciated is his passing ability, he made the most
passes in the Newcastle team (58) and had the second highest passing accuracy (84%).
He also played 3 key passes, a pass which leads to a chance, a total matched
only by Vurnon Anita. Anita is another who is often pigeon holed as a defensive
midfielder, when he has the vision and passing ability of much more than just
that, as with Tiote it is goals which are missing from making him more of an
attacking threat.
It was a vital
win for Newcastle and Alan Pardew, one which offers a sense of optimism about
the future and that the rest of the season is more than just a damp squib. It
was a real team performance, but one that was undeniably helped by the
returning trio of Remy, Coloccini and Tiote. They considerably strengthened the
core of the team and if they all remain fit for the rest of the season
Newcastle fans should be able to look forward to a few more wins.
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