Newcastle United issued clear Alexander Isak statement as Premier League face vocal backlash
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
Newcastle United latest news: Eddie Howe’s side drew 0-0 with Aston Villa in their first game of a new Premier League season.
Newcastle United played out a goalless draw with Aston Villa on Saturday as their season got off to a solid, if unspectacular start. Having been hammered 4-1 in this fixture last season, avoiding defeat was a vast improvement and, in truth, Eddie Howe’s side actually shaded the balance of the game and will be slightly disappointed to have not taken all three points.
Here are five of the main talking points from Saturday’s game:
Anthony Elanga underwhelming but not written off
New signings are the talk of the town when the first game of a new season rolls around and for Newcastle United, that meant a first start for Anthony Elanga. Likely their biggest signing of the summer, Elanga was the player they wanted and the position they needed most to strengthen in.
Some exciting cameos in pre-season whet the appetite for what to expect and the expectation on Saturday was that Villa’s high line could play perfectly into his hands. That was evident within the first six minutes when he was sent through on goal, but Marco Bizot was equal to his effort.
That was about as good as it got for the Swede on Saturday in a match that saw him look sharp in bursts, but ultimately fail to deliver the goods when it mattered. Without a recognised striker to play off, it was always going to be difficult for Elanga and until that is rectified, he can’t be fully judged or written off.
Howe, though, was pleased with the winger’s efforts: “I'm very positive on his performance.I thought he looked a real threat. He was direct.
“I thought he showed his quality.He's put some really good balls in the box. We needed to do better off some of those.
“Yes, he's had probably the one big chance early on in the game, but I thought he did most things right bar the seeing the ball hit the net. I thought he was really good today.”
Dan Burn - simply brilliant
For months now, social media has been ablaze with fans creating their dream Newcastle United starting XI. Even us journalists have given it a go.
None of them, hands fully in the air as someone who has been very guilty of this, have included Dan Burn in the back line. The dream of having a Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw partnership is just too alluring for some.
But right now, and for the last twelve months, there hasn’t been a better centre-back at the club than Dan Burn. There have been few in the whole of England, as recognised by Thomas Tuchel himself, that have performed better than the man from Blyth over that time.
On Saturday, Burn reminded everyone just what a powerhouse he is at the back. Described as a ‘colossus’ by my colleagues in the press box, Burn is absolutely one of the very first names on Howe’s teamsheet. Botman’s return to the team will have to wait.
Newcastle United issued clear Alexander Isak statement
As Howe and his side finished applauding the sold out away end in the Doug Ellis Stand, those of a black and white persuasion returned the gesture, recognising the monumental effort the team had just put in over the previous 96 minutes. There was, though, an elephant in the room - or not in the room as it were.
The spectre of Isak’s absence loomed large over Villa Park and as the Magpies headed for the tunnel, chants of ‘only one greedy -------’ rang out from the hundreds of Newcastle United fans that stayed right until the bitter end. Isak, the absent Swede, the target of those songs.
The entire Isak saga has played out in a vacuum of football and Newcastle United fans had been restricted to venting their frustrations purely on social media. Now though, they were in a stadium and making their feelings heard.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
How the best part of 52,000 supporters react to Isak when Liverpool come to town next Monday night will be very intriguing. But a vocal away following have had their say - and it’s clear that Isak has some bridges to rebuild should he remain at the club following the end of the summer transfer window.
Villa Park unite in Premier League defiance
On the subject of fan chanting, Isak wasn’t the only figure of vocal opposition at Villa Park on Saturday, with the Premier League and PSR also being included in the songbook. Led mostly by the home fans, the away end supported their chants with both sets of fans recognising that the ambitions of their clubs have been stunted by rules and regulations put in place by the Premier League.
Both the Villains and Magpies have had to sell key players to comply with these rules - with Villa even now set to lose academy graduate Aaron Ramsey to St James’ Park. All of this has been compounded by the fact that clubs like Manchester United, who have finished below both Newcastle and Villa in each of the last two seasons, can consistently outspend them both on transfer fees and in wages.
Ah, the beauty of modern football. Finance chants in the terraces.
The streak is over
A point at Villa Park was far from the end of the world for Newcastle United. In fact, if you had asked the travelling fans as they walked through the turnstile if they would be happy to leave with a point, the vast majority probably would have said yes.
Being unable to score despite playing 30 minutes against ten men may have put a dampener on the result, but ultimately this will be a point they will come to appreciate come May. That draw, though, did mean that Howe’s perfect opening day record as Magpies manager tumbled.
Three wins from three to start the season under Howe has laid a platform for them to improve - although they haven’t always built on those wins. With Liverpool and Leeds United to come before September, they have to build now.