Newcastle United U21s 0-0 Real Sociedad
Newcastle United Under-21s will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Premier League International Cup on Friday night.
The Magpies youngsters marked their debut in this season’s competition with a battling point against Real Sociedad earlier as the two sides failed to trouble the scorers in a low key affair at a rain-soaked Whitley Park. Lawrence’s side are back in action on Friday night in their next group stage game as they host Paris Saint-Germain in what could arguably be their biggest test at this phase of the competition. With further home clashes with Dinamo Zagreb and Benfica coming either side of Christmas, the International Cup will provide some stern challenges during a packed fixture schedule.
The former Manchester United academy coach reflected positively on his side’s first game of this season’s competition - and believes they can target progression into the knockout phase despite the calibre of the opposition they will face.
He told The Gazette: “It’s a little bit of an unknown this competition because Real Sociedad’s ‘B’ team play in the second division in Spain so they are playing senior football more than we are with the Under-21s programme - although we are getting more of that now.
“It will probably be similar to the UEFA Youth League in terms of what we have said to the lads is we want them to go up against these top European clubs and really test themselves against them. Sociedad was a good one because if we aren’t going to be at our fluid best and creating five to eight chances, we made sure we were tough to beat as a team.
“In tournament football we have started off with a point and we will go from there. Everyone’s ambition is to be in the top two and, of course, we want to be there. But we will take it game-by-game and challenge-by-challenge because that’s how you deal with what we are in the Under-21s. It’s a great fixture to look forward to, Friday night, under the lights here, against PSG, it’s a fantastic game that we are all looking forward to.”
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Although the limelight has been taken by the likes of Sean Neave, Leo Shahar and Seung-Soo Park as they look to progress towards first-team level, midfield duo Anthony Munda and Scott Bailey produced a quietly impressive display in Tuesday’s draw.
Both players have become regulars throughout what has already been a hectic season for Lawrence’s side - and the Magpies academy coach is delighted with the impact made by the duo in recent weeks.
He said: “They were probably two of our better players on the night and it was one of those nights where it was frustrating for the attacking players and it didn’t quite click. But if you look at the work Scott and Anthony get through, and the fact they have complimented each other well and found rhythm, I thought their performances were good, they got good control, showed quality and credit to them for keeping themselves fit and available so they have played a number of games in recent weeks. They are in a good place at the moment.”
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