Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle has heaped praise on the flexibility of Yoane Wissa. He said the forward has done an ‘amazing job’ as No. 10 for the Magpies.
Jaissle addressed this when speaking at his pre-match press conference prior to Monday’s visit to Coventry City. While lauding Wissa’s versatility, the head coach also refused to rule out utilising the Frenchman anywhere else within the squad.
“I think I have seen that he’s comfortable playing behind the striker. This gives us another dimension,” he told reporters. “I don’t want to set my mind right now.”
A revival after a difficult first year
The comments reflect a remarkable turnaround. After coming from Brentford last September. He had a terrible first season where he scored only one goal and made one assist during 19 matches in the Premier League.
So far, this season has unfolded quite differently for the player. He goal-assisted in the 2-2 draw against Liverpool while playing in the No. 10 position and was subsequently moved upfront when Will Osula went off with an injury.
A week later, he netted again in the 2-0 win against Tottenham on August 29. He has started all five Newcastle matches in the league so far.
The players’ good form has continued even after the international break. Wissa scored and assisted in DR Congo’s 2-1 triumph over Zimbabwe on September 28, during the African Cup of Nations qualifiers. This marked his second goal of the qualifying campaign. At the World Cup this summer, the player scored 3 goals and helped DR Congo reach the knockout stage of the tournament.
Osula’s return adds to selection options
The situation for Wissa might soon be changing. Osula has returned to training ahead of the game versus Coventry after suffering from an injury on his foot due to Liverpool.
Jaissle stated that he has a lot of other combinations available to use, one of which is Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who transferred to the club from Lille for the reported fee of £51 million on transfer deadline day.
Matias is not yet the highest scorer in his first four games, but Jaissle is confident in him and asks people to be patient with him due to the fact that he has not played during the pre-season.
This creates an interesting selection question managers love to have in teams with so many young players on the roster.
Coventry test awaits
The Premier League table shows Newcastle sitting in the ninth spot after earning eight points in five matches. They have lost to Leeds by 1-4 and beaten Hull by 2-1 at home. Jaissle hopes that three or four of the nine absentees in the match against Hull would be able to play. Joelinton and Nico Gonzales are the most likely players to be involved.
However, some of the players would probably be on the bench. Goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen has an ankle injury and has to be out for two months.
Coventry City currently sits in the 18th position in the Premier League table under head coach Frank Lampard after a disappointing run. Jaissle advised his players to be careful with the opponents.
The kickoff against Coventry City will be held at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Monday at 8 pm.
