Newcastle United fans must have been impressed with the performance that the team put in their opening game of the campaign. They were a whisker away from winning against Liverpool. Even at home, that would have been an upset after how poor the Magpies had looked in pre-season.
While Newcastle United could not secure the win, it must have solidified the supporters’ trust in this team. And of course, the new manager, Matthias Jaissle.
Jaissle has come into the club under the most difficult circumstances possible. They lost arguably their three best players in the form of Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes this summer. On top of that, Eddie Howe left in the middle of pre-season.
So, Jaissle only got a fraction of the pre-season to know his team and get his ideas through. And taking that into consideration, that opening weekend performance was excellent. So much so that even Jamie Carragher was left impressed.
Carragher makes fantastic claim about Jaissle
Carragher is a Liverpool legend and openly backs the club even now as a pundit. So, it is safe to say that he would have been keeping a close eye on the contest at St James’ Park this weekend.
Carragher must have been disappointed to see Liverpool drop points. But he was seemingly impressed with what he saw from Newcastle United on the day.
While speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football (via The NUFC Blog), Carragher said:
“This isn’t even because of yesterday, I’ve just seen a couple of good clips of him in press conferences. He’s only young but he’s got that little twinkle in his eye.
“I think he’ll be a fiery character in the league, and I like that with managers. In a good way, he was a bit sharp and on the front foot with Sturridge and Micah in the post-match interview yesterday.
“There’s just something about him – going to Newcastle, a huge football club, and coaching that performance yesterday too. Again, I think he’s got something about him.”
Is Jaissle the right man for Newcastle United?
It might be too early to say. We cannot take a look at a 2-2 draw against Liverpool and predict how Jaissle’s time at the club is going to turn out.
The performance and result were positive though. Jaissle did not get much time with the team but he was able to get a tune out of them. In the eyes of most, they deserved a win.
There is a reason that Jaissle has been a winner wherever he has been so far in his career. He was a continental champion in Asia before joining Newcastle United. You cannot underestimate those achievements.
Newcastle United fans will be hoping that this is just the sign of things to come. One advantage that Jaissle has is that the expectations are not very high.
Coming into the season, many even thought that Newcastle United were potential relegation contenders. So, if the Magpies can even end up having a decent season, it would be a feather in the cap for Jaissle.
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