Newcastle captain Jamal Lascelles has spoken about the team’s tactics following the home defeat against Manchester United which saw the Magpies concede three late goals.
Despite taking an early lead at St James’ Park, the Toon struggled to contain their visitors late on and the captain believes tactics were at the heart of the downfall.
Speaking to NUFC TV via Chronicle Live, Lascelles said: “We were quite upset and angry at ourselves really. We started off pretty well – the way the team was set out and the instructions given, we fancied ourselves and going a goal up obviously.”
The centre-half also claimed with the scoreline at 1-1 they should have ”shut up shop”, so to avoid what happened late on in the match.
“In the end, we were just a bit too open and it killed us a bit. Defensively I thought for 70 minutes we were good but a lack of concentration against a side like that with their quality can hurt you. They were patient and made a few substitutions and I don’t think we coped with it well enough.”
The 26-year-old did find time to pinpoint the club’s aims for this season under Steve Bruce: “Our end game is to try and get top ten if possible.”
READ NEWCASTLE VERDICT
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and it’s easy to say now after the event the Magpies were too open as three late goals flooded in.
However, positivity was certainly the way to go after a Manchester United side who were previously bereft of strength at the back having conceded six in their previous Premier League match.
A less pragmatic approach, whilst there remains the need for balance, is part of the football Toon fans want to see, therefore it’s unlikely Bruce will get chastised for wanting to play, although the Magpies do currently sit top of the long ball stats table.
