OPINION
Newcastle United suffered a 2-1 defeat courtesy of Manchester City on Saturday but Rafa Benitez will have some positives to focus on following the performance.
The Magpies may now sit in the bottom three of the Premier League following the result but several players gave fans reason to believe that things could get better following the international break.
Man City took an early lead in the game through Raheem Sterling but DeAndre Yedlin scored a rare goal in the 30th minute of the match to get his side back on level terms.
However despite their best efforts the Magpies ended up losing the game 2-1 as Kyle Walker scored a stunning goal from 25-yards-out in the 52nd minute to ensure his side picked up the win.
Here are three things Nothing But Newcastle learned from the Magpies’ loss to Man City:
Dubravka was outstanding
The 29-year-old goalkeeper confirmed his tremendous ability once again during the 2-1 loss to Manchester City. While Dubravka may have been disappointed to concede two goals, though there wasn’t much he could do about either, it would have been much worse if a less talented keeper was between the sticks. The experienced goalkeeper made several saves to deny Man City from extending their lead and that’s no easy task given how their team is riddled with lethal finishers from close range as well as distance. Dubravka’s latest performance pretty much showed the Premier League that the Magpies have one of the best shot-stoppers in the division and he is capable of helping his side get valuable points. While the goalie couldn’t help Benitez’s side take points from Saturday’s fixture, he will soon see his side put more on the board if he continues to perform like that.
Fernandez will prove to be an excellent signing
Many may have doubted the signing of Federico Fernandez from Swansea City as he struggled to save his side from relegation last season but he has submitted excellent performances for the Magpies so far. The 29-year-old centre-back was an asset to his side against Chelsea, one of the few players who could show their face after the Nottingham Forest result and was once again a reliable presence at the back on Saturday. Fernandez looked calm in possession and took playing against Manchester City’s collection of talented attackers in his stride. If the centre-back can keep this level of performances up and perhaps even improve just a tad as he settles into life at St James Park than his signing will be soon seen as an excellent one.
Atsu is not Premier League standard
Christian Atsu is not Premier League standard and his performance against Manchester City showed this. The winger, who currently earns £30,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), replaced Kenedy in the 54th minute of the game and had enough time to showcase that he was not good enough. Atsu was ineffective going forward and carelessly gave the ball away. If this was the first time the winger had been seen to constantly lose the the ball this season than it would be fair enough but it wasn’t. Atsu was also wasteful during his cameo appearance against Tottenham in the opening weekend of the Premier League and just simply doesn’t look good enough to play at this level. The 26-year-old has played 34 times in England’s top-flight, with the majority of his outings being for the Magpies, and you feel that if Benitez had more depth when it came to his winger options that Atsu wouldn’t be anywhere near the first-team set-up.
