OPINION
Newcastle United crashed out of the FA Cup in the fourth round after a 2-0 loss to Premier League rivals Watford on Saturday, and there were plenty of talking points at St. James’ Park.
The Magpies put in a pretty disappointing performance against the Hornets, with Andre Gray and Isaac Success sealing a comfortable win for the visitors.
Nothing but Newcastle have picked out three things we learned about Newcastle v Watford below.
Longstaff looks the real deal
Sean Longstaff had to be patient to get his chance in the first-team this season, but the young midfielder really is taking that opportunity with both hands. Longstaff has been one of the Magpies’ best players over the past few games, and that run continued on Saturday with another solid display in the centre of the park. As many pundits have pointed out, Longstaff’s play is reminiscent of Michael Carrick, and if he ends up having half the career of the Manchester United star then he will have done well. Benitez may have other options come available to him in midfield soon, but Longstaff is looking pretty undroppable at the moment.
Woodman takes chance
Freddie Woodman is another young player who has had to wait for a shot in the first-team this season, with the goalkeeper behind Martin Dubravka and Karl Darlow in the pecking order. The England youth international was unlucky to not be sent out on loan in the summer, and may still be keen to do so before the January deadline, but he showed his quality and potential with a solid display on Saturday. Woodman has long been earmarked as a potential future first-teamer at St. James’ Park, and while his game still has a long way to go, there is no reason why that will not happen for him.
Kenedy must be axed
What a contrast from last season. Kenedy was the talk of the town as he helped the Magpies to safety in 2017/18, but he is now a whipping boy for fans after his alarming dip in form this time round. The 22-year-old looks disinterested and totally out of touch at the moment, and his woeful performance against Watford was illustrative of that. There is an argument that Newcastle should rip up his loan deal and send him back to Chelsea, with the Brazilian taking up a valuable domestic loan slot. The likelihood of that happening seems low, but Benitez should most definitely axe the flyer immediately. His performances simply are not good enough for a club like Newcastle, and he needs to get his act together and earn the shirt.
