- Newcastle United star misses huge chance against Arsenal
- Eddie Howe’s side continue to start slow
- William Osula picked ahead of Nick Woltemade
Newcastle United could have gone 1-0 up against Arsenal in a matter of seconds yesterday. Joe Willock was the second Magpies player to touch the ball at the Emirates Stadium, bursting through the Gunners’ midfield and slotting through William Osula.
The 22-year-old showed fantastic pace to run through William Saliba and Gabriel, the through ball falling perfectly at his feet. All that was left to do was poke the ball past David Raya one-on-one.
However, rather than making contact with the ball, the former Sheffield United man kicked air and fell over his own legs. The golden chance went begging.
William Osula fluffs huge chance against Arsenal
After losing 1-0, it’s easy to look back on that chance as a golden opportunity to change the game. It wasn’t the reason Newcastle lost, Yoane Wissa also squandered a fantastic chance late on, but it epitomises two huge issues for Eddie Howe.
Under the former AFC Bournemouth head coach, the Magpies had earned a reputation for starting quick. Howe’s side came out of the blocks hot, stamping the tempo on the match from kick-off.
Osula’s awful shot shows that is no longer the case. The team’s mentality has been questioned in recent weeks and that moment in the opening 20 seconds was proof of that – both lacking sharpness and confidence.
It’s an issue that has plagued the team all season. Speaking in December, when asked about a drop in intensity, Howe said: “I don’t think that is right.
“I think in certain games we have played a different way, mainly for the fact it is very difficult to play the same way in every game when you are playing every few days.
“It is almost impossible to play that style of football that we had (intensity is our identity), especially with the same group of players with the couple of injuries we have got, so we have had to protect certain players and minimise their running.
“So it’s a big challenge for me. The attacking area, off the ball our pressing stats, and you can go mad on statistics but we are still up there as one of the best pressing teams in the league, we have to choose the times we do it.”
Knocked out of all cup tournaments, Newcastle now only have one match a week and a packed fixture schedule is no longer an excuse.
Speaking ahead of taking on Arsenal, Kieran Trippier said: “It’s tough. Especially at home, since I’ve been at the club, we have been a real force. We have been tough to beat. We have been feared. I just feel we have come away from that a little bit. I don’t know why.”
Newcastle United team selection frustrates fans
Seeing Osula make a fool of himself when fluffing that shot also underlined what may be the number one source of frustration for Newcastle fans right now.
The Magpies forked out over £100 million on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa last summer. The latter has never got going, but Woltemade began his time on Tyneside with four league goals in his first five outings.
Howe is persisting with Osula in the starting XI and leaving his big-money duo on the bench. Newcastle fans are desperate to see Woltemade in the line-up.
Explaining the benching of the big German ahead of Arsenal, Howe said: “It’s difficult because our centre-forwards have been productive for us. Anthony Gordon played up front against Chelsea and Sunderland and was scoring as the number nine.
“Now, Will Osula has come in and he’s scored as the number nine. It’s difficult, you have to award players for what they deliver and I’ve gone for a different option to Nick – there’s no problem on his fitness. When he plays he has to do the same and deliver the goals that we need.”
However, out of the three strikers, there’s no doubt who has the best credentials to put away the opportunity that fell to Osula. It’s Woltemade.
Howe has a long list of issues to fix at an ailing Newcastle United, but intensity and team selection could well be the top two, as we learned in 20 seconds on Saturday.
In other news, Bayern Munich issue Anthony Gordon statement amid £75m Newcastle United transfer links.
