Today marked the beginning of Newcastle United’s 2015/2016 Premier League season. A completely new era had made fans cautiously optimistic, with Carver and his staff gone and a new-look backroom in their place being lead by the very philosophical and modest Steve McClaren. Four new players also arrived on Tyneside, in Georginio Wijnaldum, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Chancel Mbemba and Ivan Toney, to heighten the fans’ sense of optimism.
When the fixture list was announced and it was revealed that Newcastle faced Southampton on the opening day, many fans were sceptical Newcastle’s chances in today’s fixture. However, when Steve McClaren’s starting eleven was revealed an hour ahead of kick-off, the fans were certainly more optimistic. New signings Mbemba and Wijnaldum started while Mitrovic made the bench. Last season’s under performers Yoan Gouffran and Mike Williamson were omitted from the squad. It was a brilliant sight!
The performance as a whole was impressive as they played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at St James’ Park. Newcastle had everything they lacked last season – passion, teamwork and attacking flair in abundance. In the aftermath, many praised McClaren and the team, and deservedly so, but who were the most impressive players today? Here’s my take:
Georginio Wijnaldum
Having signed from PSV for £14.5million just a few weeks ago, Newcastle fans around the globe had high hopes for the Dutchman and, in his debut game, he most certainly delivered. Wijnaldum played in the no.10 role and scored an absolutely fantastic header past Maarten Stekelenburg to put us in the lead in the early stages of the second half. He showed smart movement and was at the heart of the team’s passing fluidity throughout the match. He ran at the Southampton defence and caused them countless problems. Wijnaldum carried on his form from pre-season and is showing no signs of stopping.
Gabriel Obertan
After a sluggish and unimpressive season last year, many questioned McClaren’s decision to start Obertan over the in-form Rolando Aarons, but it actually paid off. The Frenchman delivered one of his best performances in a black and white jersey. He was determined and looked particularly dangerous in the final third – something he lacked last year. His brilliant cross was met by Wijnaldum who expectedly headed into the top corner. Obertan also tracked back to help out the defence on a number of occasions, though both goals came down his flank.
Chancel Mbemba
Another summer signing made by us, there has been perhaps a bit too much expectation placed on his shoulders by the Geordie faithful, as fellow writer Thomas Bore has pointed out. He was signed for £8.5 million and many expect the DR Congo international to solve our defensive problems. It is easy to see that another defender is needed and we cannot place all hope on ‘The Chancellor’. Having said that, Mbemba delivered a relatively decent performance today, considering it was his first Premier League appearance. Apart from not dealing with the opening goal too well, Mbemba showcased superior athleticism and completely shut out Jay Rodriguez, who was subsequently taken off. He is a very pacey defender and looks to have adapted well to life on Tyneside.
Vurnon Anita
After his brilliant performance on the final game of last season, the fans hoped that Anita could carry on his form and have another good performance as the anchorman in midfield. Those hopes were soon fulfilled, as the Dutch warhorse continued his form and delivered a very solid performance. He proved to be a vital cog in the machine of McClaren’s dimension of play. He was clever in intercepting passes and a lot of our attacks started through him. It was sad to see him get stretchered off after a good game, and we missed his presence in midfield for the last 20 minutes. Hopefully, the injury isn’t too severe and we seen Vurnon back soon.
Jack Colback
The ‘Ginger Pirlo’ was one of our best players last season and his passion & determination carried on through the beginning of this season. Jack had an average first 30 minutes but, as the game went on, he certainly came into his stride. Alongside Anita, he was also clever in intercepting Southampton’s passes and, as usual, was committed in every single tackle he made during the game. Perhaps his most notable feat came in the dying embers of the game where he heroically launched his body in front of Sadio Mane’s goal-bound strike. No wonder Jack is a fan favourite around Tyneside.
