Newcastle United correspondent Lee Ryder was not impressed with the performance of Joe Willock in the Magpies’ defeat on Thursday night.
Eddie Howe’s side now go into the international break on the back of two Premier League defeats in a row after they saw a point slip away in stoppage time.
Are the last two games cause for concern?
Yes
No
Defeat means Everton close the gap on the Magpies to six points with two games in hand over Howe’s men but with a tough schedule ahead of them.
It was certainly a night to forget for Willock who had just 42 touches, lost the ball 17 times and failed to complete a single dribble throughout the 90 minutes (via SofaScore).
The game against the Toffees was Willock’s 24th appearance of the season in the league having missed the game on the weekend against Chelsea.
However, it was apparent the 24-year-old midfielder did not do enough to impress the Toon reporter as Ryder awarded him with a mere 6/10 rating as he said: “Nothing came off for him.”
TIF Thoughts on Ryder’s comments…
It was definitely not Willock’s finest night which will come to the midfielder’s frustration having recently shown some of his better form after a difficult 2021/22 campaign.
The 24-year-old’s only two goals this season came last month and having had two shots on target on Thursday night he will be annoyed he was unable to get his side a goal.
Newcastle remain in a comfortable position in the table despite the loss, however, they face another big game against Tottenham Hotspur after the break and will need the likes of Willock to bounce back in style.
In other news: ‘Never’ – Sky Sports man blasts key VAR decision in Newcastle vs Everton