Newcastle United fans were left scratching their heads as they saw their team somehow lose even more points from a winning position late on in a match.
The Magpies were on course to score a crucial win over relegation rivals Watford at St James’ Park, only to concede an 88th-minute equaliser to Joao Pedro, with Eddie Howe’s men now relinquishing 21 points from winning positions this season.
Despite only signing this month, Kieran Trippier was slated by some Magpies fans on Twitter as he lost the ball a staggering 29 times throughout the match. That he was still the highest-rated Newcastle player on Sofascore despite that carelessness shows how sloppy the team’s performance was overall.
Is £12m a bargain for Trippier?Yes
No
|
That’s worryingly wasteful for someone who is normally so good on the ball, and he attracted some criticism from Newcastle fans on social media, with one supporter even blasting his performance as “awful”.
What these Toon fans had to say
“Am I alone in thinking Trippier was a non-factor in this match? #NEWWAT.” @j_archer_avary
“Wood and Trippier pretty useless atm, both massively out of position. Wood seems to be expecting Allan to do it all himself while he just chills in the middle.” @MickHnufc
“Trippier was awful too. Got left planted on the spot three times by King in the 2nd half. Some terrible performances.” @onfosec
“Trippier has played right wing back for Tottenham, England and Atletico. Surprised we’ve played him in a back 4. Maybe waiting on the centre backs coming in?” @MichaelMidd90
“What decent player is going to want to join #nufc? Surprised we even got Trippier.” @Bradders4711
“Don’t think there’s any chance Trippier stays to play in the Championship if we get relegated.” @TheThomasCowin
It’s unfair to point the finger solely at Trippier after still being one of their better players overall, but the loss of possession is something he’ll need to work upon if he is to help Newcastle out of trouble. He will also want to improve upon a performance in which he lost seven duels and was dribbled past three times, as per Sofascore.
|
|
The most frustrating thing today for the Magpies is that they missed a golden opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone, while almost half of the January transfer window has now elapsed.
The more likely that relegation appears, you’d imagine the harder it would be to make significant upgrades this month. It’s bound to be a busy few weeks for Amanda Staveley and co behind the scenes at St James’ Park!
In other news, Jamaal Lascelles sends fans into meltdown