'Fans should dream' as 'special, special Newcastle' make perfect start

1 year ago 17

Manager Eddie Howe wants Newcastle supporters "to dream" aft starting the caller Premier League run with a "perfect day" astatine St James' Park.

Debutants Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes some scored, portion Alexander Isak reminded everybody of his prime with 2 classy finishes.

"We scored 5 - we could person scored more. Everything clicked for us," Howe told Match of the Day.

"It was a choky crippled decided by our ruthlessness successful beforehand of goal. Villa were besides successful the game, truthful we're precise pleased. We had to beryllium astatine our best.

"We knew we had a hard commencement [with the fixture list], truthful you look astatine this crippled arsenic a monolithic infinitesimal successful our season.

"Now we person to spell to Manchester City, which is the hardest spot to go. We've got to clasp the situation and past of people Liverpool, but we volition absorption connected City first."

Villa went into the crippled connected a precocious having earned much points than immoderate Premier League broadside different than Manchester City successful the 2nd fractional of the 2022-23 run and followed that signifier up with important concern successful their squad this summer.

France winger Moussa Diaby impressed and scored a debut extremity of his ain aft his £51m determination from Bayer Leverkusen, portion £31m defender Pau Torres showed immoderate awesome quality connected the shot erstwhile helium replaced the injured Tyrone Mings during the archetypal half.

But the time belonged to Newcastle, whose caller signings look to person settled successful rapidly to beingness connected Tyneside.

'He has the arrogance of Pirlo'

Former Everton and Scotland winger Pat Nevin, analysing for BBC 5 Live, was impressed with Tonali, who Newcastle bought from AC Milan for £55m.

Nevin likened Tonali, who slotted successful alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton successful an industrious and progressive motor room, to 1 of the icons of modern midfield play.

"Newcastle fans are going to similar Tonali if helium keeps connected playing similar this," said Nevin. "If you look astatine him and Guimaraes successful midfield, that is simply a spectacular partnership.

"Tonali was perfectly everywhere. He has a assured arrogance astir himself. Just everything helium does - his cross-field balls, his comfortableness and assurance connected the shot - helium has the arrogance of [Andrea] Pirlo connected the ball.

"He looks similar the implicit absolute midfielder. Everyone other was moving astir astatine apical velocity and helium conscionable seemed wholly successful power astatine each moment."

Newcastle fable Alan Shearer believes Tonali mightiness crook retired to beryllium a "bargain", adjacent though Howe spent £55m to motion the Italy player.

"As debuts go, this was arsenic bully arsenic it gets - what a magnificent commencement to his Newcastle career," said Shearer connected Match of the Day.

"It was the cleanable midfield performance; a goal, an assist, tackles, large scope of passing, precocious runs into the box, getting stuck in, did his spot defensively - helium was progressive successful astir everything.

"When you comparison immoderate of the prices that person been paid for midfielders and are astir to beryllium paid for them, I cognize it is aboriginal days... but helium mightiness crook retired to beryllium a bargain."

How bully tin Newcastle get?

Newcastle fans whitethorn person disquieted they whitethorn endure from 'second play syndrome' aft reaching the Champions League for the archetypal clip successful 20 years with a terrific 2022-23 campaign.

But the grounds of this opening-day triumph suggests they volition not lone beryllium cardinal contenders for the apical 4 again, but could possibly spell 1 measurement further and equine a rubric challenge.

Forward Anthony Gordon had 1 of his champion games successful a Newcastle garment aft a good summertime for England Under-21s and, alongside Barnes, Isak, and Miguel Almiron, volition assistance Newcastle origin problems to adjacent the champion opponents.

The midfield looks strong, with the dynamic Elliot Anderson and Sean Longstaff to adhd to the mix, portion the Sven Botman-led defence looks solid.

"Newcastle look very, precise special, and they did from commencement to finish," Nevin added.

"They accidental 1 swallow doesn't marque a summer. But Newcastle fans volition beryllium drinking this in, and volition apt beryllium doing truthful galore times this season."

Howe, who described Tonali arsenic "magnificent", says helium has a bully premix of players to take from up front.

"I went with Alex [Isak] today. Alex and Callum [Wilson] are 2 truly apical players and we saw Alex bash good and past Callum travel connected and bash well. That's what we are going to request passim a hard season," helium said.

"Wilson is simply a apical subordinate and helium looked razor-sharp erstwhile helium came on."

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