Newcastle United made the long journey to Wales to face a Swansea City side who has become a nightmare team for the Geordies in recent years, and Saturday’s result bought about nothing new as Garry Monk’s team cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory courtesy of strikes from Bafetimbi Gomis and Andre Ayew.
Outside90’s Anthony Margaretic takes a look at the major talking points out of the match at the Liberty Stadium.
Newcastle’s disciplinary problems remain cause for concern
Last season Newcastle received eight red cards, an average of just under one for every four games and while is only week two of the season, the Magpies have had a dismissal. It will not be the red card itself which infuriates Steve McClaren, but rather the nature of the offence. Daryl Janmaat was booked early in the first-half and with the tricky Swansea wingers Jefferson Montero and Ayew, it was clear the Dutchman would be in for a tough afternoon. It was then with five minutes to go before the break when a seemingly harmless Swansea attack was beginning when Janmaat needlessly tugged on the shirt of Montero, leaving referee Mike Jones with no option but to brandish his second yellow card. The dismissal completely killed any chance Newcastle had of mounting a challenge, and the defender will now miss the important away match against Manchester United at Old Trafford next weekend.
Swansea look set for another impressive season
Following an opening day draw away against champions Chelsea, the pressure was on for Swansea to take the three points today, and although the sending off to Janmaat gave a big boost, credit must be given for the way they dictated play for the remainder of the match. A draw against Chelsea and a comfortable win over Newcastle is a great way to begin the new season and the early signs suggest the Swans can build on their eighth place finish from 2014-15. Their quality, especially in the front third of the pitch is a frightening prospect for any Premier League team, with the pace of wingers Ayew and Montero, and Gomis scoring two in as many games this campaign. All three gave the Newcastle defence continuous problems throughout the afternoon.
Hot headed Mitrovic
Last weekend, Aleksandr Mitrovic came off the bench against Southampton and was carded after approximately five seconds for a tackle which Steve McClaren admits “was lucky not to be red”. Today, he was booked after 90 seconds for what looked like a stamp on Neil Taylor following a foul by the Swansea left-back. This is now twice the Serbian striker has been booked shortly after coming on, and while it would be refreshing for Newcastle fans to have a player who is passionate, it is an issue which needs to be addressed. In a league where reputation’s as a feisty player grow out of hand quickly, officials may feel the need to give him extra attention. The way Mitrovic has been going about his tackles this season suggests that it is a matter of when, not if, the striker sees red.
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Swansea are the perfect template for Newcastle to follow
When the Swans were promoted four years ago they were expected to make a swift return to the Championship, yet in seemingly no time at all they have established themselves in the top flight and look set to push on to bigger and better things. While every newly promoted club wants to end up just like Swansea, today has proven that Newcastle could learn a thing or two from the Welsh club in how they go about their business on the pitch, as well as the offices. They have been well managed off the pitch by Chairman Huw Jenkins in ensuring their stability in the Premier League, and from kick-off they are aesthetically pleasing on the eye, playing a beautiful passing game that would please any top level manager. Considering where both teams were 10 years ago, when Newcastle were in the Champions League and Swansea were struggling in League Two, then comparing that with today’s match and the recent results between each other, Newcastle should look at Swansea and say “why can we not be like that in a few years time?”
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