It seems absurd that Newcastle United were a minute away from beating Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League encounter. And after Barcelona dismantled the Magpies 7-2 at the Nou Camp in the second leg, they will be disappointed with the draw they got away with on Tyneside.
In a quiet week in English football, it was Eddie Howe’s side who were handed the biggest cheque.
Crashing back down to earth, it was a night full of disappointing performances and perhaps none more so than a player who looked like Newcastle’s next Elliot Anderson in the first leg.
Newcastle learned Anderson’s lesson the hard way
Say the word PSR around Tyneside and you’ll cringe at a few Newcastle fans. It’s taboo talk at St James’ Park these days, given how it played a role in curtailing the PIF project and forced the club to sell players of Anderson’s caliber.
Apart from the point deduction, losing Anderson was the hardest lesson Newcastle learned in 2024. Since then he has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, even at struggling Nottingham Forest, and cemented his first place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
Suddenly, the £35m Nottingham Forest paid for the midfielder looks like a bargain, especially considering he could leave for around £100m from the likes of Manchester United this summer.
|
Most balls available at 25/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest |
248 |
|
Joao Gomes (Wolves) |
160 |
|
Andre (Wolves) |
159 |
|
Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth) |
154 |
|
Declan Rice (Arsenal) |
152 |
Anderson has been at home in midfield this season. When it comes to recovery, no player comes close to his level in the Premier League.
Newcastle thought they would get their due in the first leg against Barcelona, but they may have been wrong.
Newcastle’s new Anderson must be fired
There was plenty of praise for Jacob Ramsey in the first leg against Barcelona. In a night that almost ended in victory over Newcastle, the £43m man found himself matched by Anderson, making four saves and completing four tackles in a perfect display.
The Toon star recently had his worst game in a Newcastle vs Barcelona shirt
Newcastle United were humiliated 7-2 by Barcelona in their second game, with the Magpies star having his worst game so far under Eddie Howe.
Another thing that often stands out about Anderson is his ability to improve play-by-play with his ball-handling skills. It’s a difficult skill to replicate, but Ramsey was doing just that in the first leg – completing 11 runs to get his side out of trouble and on the front foot.
The basics were there for all to see at St James’ Park, but when the spotlight was on at the Nou Camp, Ramsey failed to live up to expectations.
|
Ramsey vs Barcelona |
The first leg |
Second Leg |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
90 |
90 |
|
Recovery |
4 |
4 |
|
Mistakes lead to goals |
0 |
1 |
|
Fighting |
4 |
3 |
This season as a whole, Ramsey is also in the 61st percentile for progressive cars compared to Anderson, who is in the 57th percentile. The former Aston Villa man is not doing enough, let alone trying to break Barcelona’s formation at the Nou Camp.
Before the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland, Eddie Howe should drop the midfielder and return one of Nick Woltemade or Joe Willock to the side.
Willock is a strong option for Newcastle to consider. Where Ramsey struggled in the win against Barcelona, the former Arsenal man has an attacking intent that could prove vital against Sunderland this weekend.
For his colleagues, on the other hand, it may be back to square one. The signing of the summer had to wait for his chance and now, after finding his place, an unplanned mistake against Barcelona could be very costly.
The Magpies cannot lose twice in the same season against Sunderland and after the embarrassment against Barcelona, Howe must be confident with his team selection. Whether that means the end of Ramsey’s run in the side remains a big question.
