Newcastle United 0-1 Borussia Dortmund (25/10/23)

[Gallowgate Toon]

Just now, The Prophet said:

The whole attack was a bit flat other than Gordon, but Miggy was incredibly frustrating last night. It brought back PTSD from the League Cup final.

I thought Miggy was sat way too narrow when he was on the right and the Murphy sub was a way to try and stretch their backline a bit. A real shame about the injury. That said, when he sits wider, he can also be shit when he doesn't want to use his right foot & constantly cut back to Trippier.

[The Prophet]

Just now, Gallowgate Toon said:

I thought Miggy was sat way too narrow when he was on the right and the Murphy sub was a way to try and stretch their backline a bit. A real shame about the injury. That said, when he sits wider, he can also be shit when he doesn't want to use his right foot & constantly cut back to Trippier.

 

I don't want to pan him because he's very useful and has been integral to the press, but if a player is that one footed at Championships League level, they need to be very, very good. 

[RobsonsWonderland]

5 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

The whole attack was a bit flat other than Gordon, but Miggy was incredibly frustrating last night. It brought back PTSD from the League Cup final.

That's how I described it last night... We know we are close but unless we are 100% spot on for these games, experience seems to count.

[Paully]

We were nowhere near at our best but still had two glorious chances through Gordon and WIlson and we hit the bar twice!

 

As people have said, it's the injuries that have gutted me about last night not the performance!

[RobsonsWonderland]

2 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

I don't want to pan him because he's very useful and has been integral to the press, but if a player is that one footed at Championships League level, they need to be very, very good. 

Murphy is not Champions League either but it showed on Saturday that with a natural right footer we can go from front to back in the blink of an eye.

 

There was no chance of that last night and the FB does not need to worry about the cross coming in

[Vaj]

The Murphy injury was a real shame. I thought it was a good tactical tweak from Eddie and in those few minutes Miggy looked quite dangerous down the middle and it was giving them something different to think about whilst also giving us more width. 

[McCormick]

Dortmund were very good tactically but player-wise they aren’t anything special. I wouldn’t swap their squad for ours at all. I see a very beatable team home or away.

[Upthemags]

2 hours ago, Kanji said:

Joelinton seemed bypassed far too much and was jogging back not even busting a gut to catch Nmecha (who allegedly played the best game of the season so far for himself).

Thought Joelinton looked terrible last night. Clearly not fit. Hope Elliot isn't out too long

[Yorkie]

37 minutes ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

The tactical reviews of this will be interesting. I couldn't quite figure it out at the time but it just felt like they always had an extra man available. On the break, they consistently had an overlap option or when we had the ball with the likes of Trippier/Bruno, they'd often hunt in 3s which you'd think would leave good outballs but they always seemed to shut the passing lanes down well.

 

It did feel like the Arsenal game where we had plenty of our own chances but it never felt like we were truly the better team.

 

Tactically they were excellent. That boss of theirs could be one to watch. Painfully smug in his post match interview on TNT n'all so he'll probably go far.

[Pancrate1892]

1 hour ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

I thought Miggy was sat way too narrow when he was on the right and the Murphy sub was a way to try and stretch their backline a bit. A real shame about the injury. That said, when he sits wider, he can also be shit when he doesn't want to use his right foot & constantly cut back to Trippier.

Seems to be a problem with a low block. I think as soon as a side sits back we need natural width 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Think we have to be realistic about low blocks as well though. Even Man City have lost games by one goal because they can’t break a team down. Even the best creative players struggle. 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by AyeDubbleYoo

[LFEE]

59 minutes ago, Paully said:

We were nowhere near at our best but still had two glorious chances through Gordon and WIlson and we hit the bar twice!

 

As people have said, it's the injuries that have gutted me about last night not the performance!

Yeah waking up I’m more disappointed with the injuries as if we end up 3rd that was all I had hoped we’d do. Performed well. Missed some good chances. Like I said last night it’s a game of margins. Felt we maybe rushed things at time in the final third.

[TRon]

47 minutes ago, McCormick said:

Dortmund were very good tactically but player-wise they aren’t anything special. I wouldn’t swap their squad for ours at all. I see a very beatable team home or away.

 

I think we need to be at full strength to beat them though. Watching yesterday it looked like some of the players of the Bruce era were struggling. If there is enough quality around them they can step up, but Longstaff, Joelinton and Almiron didn't really do that well.

 

I think losing Isak really hurt us as well, Wilson is great against the run of the mill PL teams, but Dortmund were pushing a lot of players forward and we missed Isak's ability to counter with pace. Isak, Barnes and Murphy missing takes a lot of pace out of our team.

[Ronaldo]

23 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Think we have to be realistic about low blocks as well though. Even Man City have lost games by one goal because they can’t break a team down. Even the best creative players struggle. 

 

 

 

Everyone pretty much sits deep against them though, and they still win all the time.

[The Prophet]

Dortmund played through our press pretty nicely. They'll be used to it with it being the tactic of choice in the Bundesliga.

[leffe186]

3 hours ago, bobbydazzla said:

Don't blame it on the rainclouds,

Don't blame it on the crossbar,

Don't blame it on the shite ref,

Blame it on the Beren

 

 

 

 

 

(He has shite

He has shite

He has shite shoes on his feet.)

 

(He has shite

He has shite 

He has shite shoes on his feet)

[SiLvOR]

2 hours ago, Beren said:

Surreal trip continues. Ghodoussi and Staveley are on the table next to me at breakfast. They thought we played well second half but that CL is ruthless.

Have they banned you from the stadium now?

[AyeDubbleYoo]

13 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

Everyone pretty much sits deep against them though, and they still win all the time.

 

Yeah, of course that's where we want to get to, but I think we know we aren't as good as Man City yet. I was just making the point that low blocks are hard to break down.

[leffe186]

I do think it’s a mark of how strong the Premier League is that a side in sixth with three losses and very inexperienced in the CL can acquit itself so well against such strong opposition. Man U’s comedy failings notwithstanding, English teams seem to be collectively even better than they have been relative to other top sides.
 

The injuries are obviously going to be a problem, and it was always going to be a test. Without Europe we’ve been able to nurse a clearly injured Son and Maddison through most of every game. IIRC Isak and Wilson have been injury-prone for many years (is this right?) and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the high-energy pressing game is taking its toll on them.

 

Feels like this might be a very busy January for us both. We’re in desperate need of cover in a couple of positions and it looks like you will be too. The one issue we do have without Europe and the League Cup is that our backups are not getting many minutes.

[Kid Icarus]

That felt like another shit happens match to me. For me at full time I wasn't disappointed with the team or the approach or anything like that, the feelings were that the result was unfair (I know that means nothing, but that was how I felt) and an overriding feeling of positivity.

 

I get that at the end of the match it's the result that matters, but in the spirit of demanding a team that tries I can look at that match and what I see is that despite us not playing at our best and some players looking noticably leggy, we still created enough clear cut chances to have won or have earned a draw. Missing 2 one-on-ones, hitting the bar twice, and being absolutely robbed of a penalty. One or two of those goes our way and we're talking about how there's more than one way to skin a cat and how dynamic a manager Howe is. The perception of matches like that hinges so much on the result imo. 

 

Dortmund knew how to play against us and played well, particularly at making high risk last line interceptions and tackles, but even then we forced the issue enough to create enough really clear cut chances to at the very least share the points. The way that football is with these moments you need to take, it wouldn't surprise me if we went to Dortmund and took them. 

 

Pope: 8
Trippier: 7

Lascelles: 6.5

Schar: 8

Burn: 6.5 Targett: 7

Bruno: 6.5

Joelinton: 5.5

Longstaff: 6

Almiron: 6.5

Wilson: 6

Gordon: 8

 

I should say as well, I don't like slagging off the crowd, but on the telly it sounded noticably lacking in any drive to get behind the players when they most needed it. The ref who was shocking throughout and Dortmund regularly halting momentum also played a part, but it seemed very much a one way street with the crowd where they only got behind the lads when they did something to pump them up. It shouldn't be like that, supporters are supposed to support, not just consume and it seemed like a lot of people were there 'for the atmosphere' rather than having any appreciation for how they're supposed to contribute to the atmosphere. The lads have more than upheld their end of the bargain for the last 2 years, it would have been nice to have seen the crowd uphold their end when the chips were down. 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Kid Icarus

[ExiledGeordie]

6 minutes ago, leffe186 said:

I do think it’s a mark of how strong the Premier League is that a side in sixth with three losses and very inexperienced in the CL can acquit itself so well against such strong opposition. Man U’s comedy failings notwithstanding, English teams seem to be collectively even better than they have been relative to other top sides.
 

The injuries are obviously going to be a problem, and it was always going to be a test. Without Europe we’ve been able to nurse a clearly injured Son and Maddison through most of every game. IIRC Isak and Wilson have been injury-prone for many years (is this right?) and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the high-energy pressing game is taking its toll on them.

 

Feels like this might be a very busy January for us both. We’re in desperate need of cover in a couple of positions and it looks like you will be too. The one issue we do have without Europe and the League Cup is that our backups are not getting many minutes.

Very well summed up and I agree on Jan I think both clubs will be very active. Without Jan reinforcements injuries could really blight our season.

[LFEE]

Thinking it’s probably a good thing we get to play them relatively soon. TBH we couldn’t have asked for much better the order our fixtures fell. Maybe Dortmund away first then at SJP would’ve been the only change I’d of made.

[mondonewc]

We can 100% go there and turn them over in two weeks. Bookies have us and Dortmund as joint 2nd fav to qualify now at evens, we can definitely still get through this group, and I wouldn't be too disappointed with 3rd either, European football in the New Year and in a competition we actually have a realistic chance of going very deep in and competing to win it. Chins up, we go again! 

[Magpie]

Second yellow in the competition for Bruno, does he miss the game in Germany?

[The Prophet]

A point over the Milan and Dortmund fixtures is probably about right to be fair.