Whilst Newcastle may have fallen to Shinji Okazaki’s moment of brilliance at the King Power Stadium on Monday, there is plenty of room to suggest the battle for survival is most definitely on.
Gary Lineker tweeted during the game that he had never been more nervous about football until tonight. Given the seeming comfort at which the Foxes dispatched title rivals Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in the past, for him to be nervous about Newcastle spoiling the party shows things are looking perspective under new Magpies coach Rafael Benitez.
The Spaniard came into the game with a focus on turning around the fortunes of striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, and although the frontman did not make it onto the scoresheet, he gave Wes Morgan room for thought, setting nerves tingling within the stadium. There is work to be done further, however. There was one chance which presented itself to Mitrovic, who elected to find Siem de Jong, who’s shot was blocked and the chance gone.
The link up play between Mitrovic, Moussa Sissoko, and Ayoze Perez looked promising, whilst Andros Townsend showed spark upon his arrival. Though it is at the back where Benitez should be concerned. Centre backs Steven Taylor and Jamaal Lascelles looked disjointed, whilst Daryl Janmaat’s habit of bombing forward left his defending teammates exposed to the pace of Marc Albrighton.
Nonetheless, they reduced Leicester to just one goal and threatened the table toppers at the other end. Without wishing to get carried away, black and white fans have steady cause for optimism going into the massively important Tyne-Wear derby at the weekend. As the Black Cats are looking for an escape from relegation themselves, a win for Newcastle at St. James’s Park would see them move ahead of their rivals with a game in hand.
Work to do, yes. But Benitez’ pragmatic approach to the situation Newcastle are in, coupled with his long advocated policy of defensive-minded football, suggests he and his new side will fight to the bitter end of the season in their survival crusade.
