Newcastle United were beaten in the most brutal circumstances by Liverpool - and here’s the main talking points.
They didn’t deserve, not one of them. The shift to end all shifts from every single one of them in black and white. But, sadly, two games down, only one point to show for it.
Here’s the main talking points from Newcastle United’s 3-2 loss to Liverpool - including talk of the route back to the first-team for Alexander Isak.
Desperation hides a summer of ills with Alexander Isak
He won’t go. I think we all know that now. With only Will Osula to lead the line in the coming weeks due to Anthony Gordon’s red card, the path back for Alexander Isak is wide open. Where many will have met his reintegration with hostility, that will weaken as the options have dwindled, you’d imagine.
Isak could still leave, of course, but that option has never seemed less likely, in fairness.
And with the team a priority, if he can be convinced to come back sooner rather than later, his return would likely be welcomed. It will still be a case of forgive not forget, however, for many. But riding in on a white horse to aid the team in their hour of need, would certainly go some way to helping the image he has worked so hard to ruin.
Red card implications - what does Eddie Howe do next?
Options are light. While Will Osula did plenty to boost his chances of a start at Leeds United, it’s not a given he does get the nod.
His goal was brilliant, but he’s a bit of a force of nature, a really unpredictable and cumbersome one at times. I’m not sure he knows what he’s going to do next, never mind those around him.
So, with that in mind, and the slim chance the sulky Swede puts his toys back in the pram, it might be that Howe explores other avenues. Could he maybe go for Anthony Elanga through the middle with Jacob Murphy coming back in on the right? I wouldn’t rule it out. Either way Anthony Gordon now misses three games - he will, of course, be back for the Champions League first league phase match, and then the Carabao Cup third round.
Midfield nightmare - but light in the darkness with Jacob Ramsey?
Any midfield in the land would miss Sandro Tonali. His proven talents would land him in almost every XI in world football. He is irreplaceable.
Joelinton, too. He is the physical driving force for United, a raging bull. Another who, because of his unique skillset, simply can’t be replaced.
However, that is the task at hand for Eddie Howe - replace the beating heart of this team. Lewis Miley will bring a different kind of defensive game to the No.6 role in the absence of Tonali, while some real light in the darkness from last night, for me, was the performance of Jacob Ramsey.
He looks to be sharp, clever and linked well with those around him, His size, speed and cuteness will be an asset. And it looks like he will get a run in the team due to what looked a nasty injury to Joelinton.
‘Bruno’s f-ck-ng magic’
Captain fantastic. Leader. Legend. The man who can make anything happen.
When he is at his best - which he was on Monday night - he is unplayable. Combative, smart, evasive, illusive. He is everything Newcastle want and need - and then some.
He was the catalyst for the comeback and his performance deserved so much more. He had no right to score when he did, no right to dominate those around him in the second half, with Newcastle a man down. All this against the best team in the land.
He epitomises everything this team is. And they’ll need a whole lot more of that in the coming weeks.
Time for Lewis Hall?
I think so. Kieran Trippier hasn’t done a thing wrong, but it’s a travesty not to have Hall back in the side. He offers so much down the left, and a beautiful balance with his grace and demon of a left peg.
That switch would also require Tino Livramento to up his levels on the right, which is something he is really yet to do consistently, often playing his best football on the left.
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