Newcastle's Pre-Season Setback Against Everton: A 3-1 Reminder
The man on the Murrayfield microphone promised “passion and world-class football from the very first whistle.”
That was ambitious.
What Matthias Jaissle did get, though, was something far more useful a week and a half out from the Premier League season: a blunt, 3-1 reminder of exactly how far his new Newcastle United side still has to go.
Bright start, brutal lesson
For 20 minutes, it looked encouraging. Newcastle, reshaped and youthful, started with intent. Bazoumana Toure, again, was the live wire. The new signing attacked the left flank with pace and no fear, stretching Everton and giving the sizeable Tyneside contingent something to cling to.
But pressure without ruthlessness is a familiar pre-season story. Newcastle carved out openings and wasted them. Each miss seemed to drain a little confidence, and as the half wore on, the gaps at the other end widened.
The warning turned into punishment on 27 minutes. One simple ball from James Tarkowski, straight and long, caused chaos. Thierno Barry darted in front of a hesitant Sven Botman and was away. Lewis Hall did superbly to chase back and slide in, but his clearance only reached Harrison Armstrong, who calmly squared for Barry to finish past Lukas Hornicek.
On the touchline, Jaissle punched his palm in frustration, then immediately urged his players forward again, just as he had when they came from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 at the weekend. This time, the response never really came.
Minutes later, the deficit doubled. Joelinton was harshly penalised for a foul on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the box, and Iliman Ndiaye stepped up to convert from the spot. Behind that goal, Everton fans seized their moment, chanting “going down, going down, going down” at the black-and-white end.
The atmosphere shifted. So did the scoreline.
Young faces, old problems
This was not the Newcastle that lost to Everton under Eddie Howe in February. Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy, involved that night, again combined here – but this time off the bench, in a very different context.
Jaissle’s starting XI told its own story. Eight of the side were 25 or under. Joelinton, captain’s armband strapped on, and Yoane Wissa were the senior figures at 29. The core of last season’s dressing room has gone. Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon, Kieran Trippier – all departed earlier in the summer, leaving what Jaissle again described as a “vacuum.”
“You all see the matches,” he said afterwards. “You are also smart enough to see the needs in the squad.
“I will be always consistent with my approach. We handle these things internally. We are aware of what we need. Let’s see now. There is still some time.”
The gaps are obvious. Newcastle still await the returns of Dan Burn, Lewis Miley and Tino Livramento, though all three are unlikely to be ready for the opener against Liverpool. Even with them, this group needs help.
Jaissle did not hide from that reality.
“You cannot change things really quickly,” he said. “It’s a really young team at the moment so there are vacuums where players need to step up.
“We fill these positions we lost with the experienced players, but that’s also the process.”
Everton ruthless as Newcastle drift
While Newcastle wrestled with their growing pains, Everton were clinical.
On 73 minutes, Tyrique George made it 3-0 with a drilled finish, and that was the cue for some Newcastle supporters to head for the exits. Not to catch a solar eclipse, as some joked, but to beat the traffic on a night that had turned flat.
Newcastle did at least salvage a moment to cheer. Barnes, on as a substitute, arrived at the back post to slam in Murphy’s cross and cut the deficit. It was a sharp finish, the sort that underlined what remains in this squad when service is right and confidence flows.
But it did not change the feel of the evening. This was a contest that had long since slipped away.
Transfer clock ticking
Up in the stands, sporting director Ross Wilson watched it all unfold. He did not need this game to tell him what he already knows, but it underlined the urgency.
Newcastle want a right-back. They want an older central midfielder. Depending on Jaissle’s final assessment, there could be room for at least one more signing before the window shuts on 1 September.
Time, though, is not on their side.
“If you make new signings at the end of the transfer window, they usually need time,” Jaissle said. “Usually it takes time to adapt to the Premier League.
“Those are all things we consider, but we are all still positive. We all want to go in the right direction.
“We have these goals and there’s many stones along the way thrown in that path, but we need to get rid of them.”
Murrayfield did not deliver the “world-class football” the announcer promised. It did something more valuable for Newcastle’s new head coach: it stripped away any illusions.
Liverpool come to St James’ Park next week. By then, the question will be simple. How many of those stones have Newcastle actually moved?
