OPINION
It is not a surprise in the slightest that the Newcastle fans have laid into Christian Atsu in the first half against Spurs, which ended 0-0. He is often the scapegoat for fans to lay into, and that was no different at Wembley. He was woeful and poor in possession, which has led to some fans here wondering why Rafa Benitez did not upgrade on him in the January transfer window. He should have based on this display, so it is hard not to agree with them here. It remains to be seen why he continues to be selected, so hopefully Benitez comes to his senses and substitutes him in the second half. One said that he could not beat a man to save his life, and that pretty much sums up how this afternoon has gone for Atsu. It is a shame, but he needs to start doing a lot better.
This is Futbol has rounded up some of the best tweets:
Rafa I love you but get rid of Atsu ffs
— Jordan (@dengartist) February 2, 2019
Has Christian Atsu borrowed someone's shorts today?
— Ryan Bahia (@ryanbahia) February 2, 2019
https://twitter.com/JoshDWR/status/1091681096566272000
Realistically we should've upgraded on Ritchie/Atsu in the summer
— Jack (@McCu_J) February 2, 2019
Just image if atsu and Perez were like 100% better we could give spurs a real headache. We could all dream
— Ben (@dragonslayer684) February 2, 2019
atsu is an appalling footballer
— Simon (@LumbaJaxx) February 2, 2019
Atsu couldn’t trap a bag of cement mind #Nufc
— Paul Davison ?? (@PabloD2023) February 2, 2019