Total football! Newcastle 2-2 PSV Eindhoven.
Posted on July 31st, 2010 | 96 Comments |
The Dutch philosophy of ‘Total Football’ was reinforced as PSV controlled the ball and left the Newcastle players chasing shadows for large periods of the game.
I know it’s only pre-season, and it’s all about fitness etc, but these games should also serve as a warning to the management. Our starting eleven may be good enough for survival in my opinion, but if any of those starting eleven players are out through injury or suspension then we could struggle. New faces to add to the squad are still very much needed, all in my opinion of course.
Newcastle were missing a fair amount of regular players, most of them through injury. Wayne Routledge and Joey Barton were not risked as they were both carrying a slight injury. Sol Campbell wasn’t deemed fit enough to feature at all, Jonas Gutierrez was still absent after his World Cup exploits and Andy Carroll was only given a role on the bench. Add long-term injury victims Steven Taylor and Danny Simpson to that and you should be able to see that we are still very much not at full strength.
PSV started the game brightly, with their simple passing game giving Newcastle the run-around. That was to be expected though I guess as the Dutch domestic league kicks-off next week which means that PSV are near to the end of their pre-season preparations and are fitter as a consequence of it.
And it was the Dutch side who took the lead on 9 minutes. James Perch conceded a free-kick 25-yards from goal which PSV striker Ola Toivonen lashed into the corner of the net. There wasn’t much Harper could do about in fairness. 1-0 PSV.
PSV made it 2-0 on 39 minutes with another long range belter, this time from Hungarian winger Balázs Dzsudzsák although the distance was the much the same as the opener.
Newcastle looked second best, and to be brutally honest we were. It didn’t stop us pulling a goal back 8 minutes into the second half though. James Perch drove into the area and his shot on the angle was parried out to Ryan Taylor who smashed home form 6-yards. 1-2, game on.
Both teams had chances to score the next goal and PSV even hit the bar, albeit it was Newcastle player Mike Williamson who headed the ball towards his own goal in the first place. It was Newcastle who got the one that counted though, Leon Best equalising after heading home Ryan Taylor’s cross on 71 minutes. 2-2.
That’s how the game finished although PSV will feel that they had done enough to win the game. As has been said, a lot, not much should be read into pre-season games, although the way we were taken apart at times by a technically superior team could be cause for concern.
PSV are a good side, a regular European side, and Newcastle done well to come back from two goals down to draw a game that looked far far out of sight. Special mention to Xisco who impressed when he came on and showed that he could work out to be of some use this season.
Howay the lads!
Newcastle – Steve Harper, James Perch, Jose Enrique, Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson, Danny Guthrie, Kevin Nolan, Alan Smith, Ryan Taylor, Peter Lovenkrands, Shola Ameobi.
Subs – Andy Carroll, Xisco, Leon Best, Kazenga LuaLua, Tim Krul, Haris Vuckic, Nile Ranger, Ryan Donaldson, James Tavernier.
PSV – Andreas Isaksson, Carlos Salcido, Franciso Maza Rodriguez, Marcus Berg, Ola Toivonen, Orlando Engelaar, Jermaine Lens, Erik Pieters, Balazs Dzsudzsak, Stanislav Manolev, Otman Bakkal.
Subs – Cassio Ramos, Nordin Amrabat, Atiba Hutchinson, Stijn Wuytens, Stef Nijland, Wilfred Bouma, Funso Ojo, Zakaira Labyad, Jonathan Reis, Ospitaleri.
NUFCBlog Author: toonsy
toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.
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