OPINION
All things considered, Newcastle United’s 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Monday night was probably their worst performance of 2019 so far.
There’s no shame in getting beat to a top six side away from home, especially one gunning for a 10th consecutive home win, but the lacklustre way in which the Magipies just rolled over in north London will have been deeply frustrating to Rafa Benitez.
The Spaniard knows the limitations of his squad better than anybody, but he proves himself on setting his side up in a way that makes them a tricky proposition for any opposition.
Very few United players covered themselves in glory at the Emirates, but one who underperformed yet again was Deandre Yedlin.
The 57 cap US international has been in worrying form for some time now, and he was hung out to dry against Arsenal as the Gunners gave him a real run around.
It would be remiss to suggest that Yedlin brings nothing to the side. The £30,000-a-week full-back [Spotrac] is blessed with blistering pace and has the ability to worry defence with his directness.
But far too often he is caught lacking in defensive situations, and as a wing-back, that should ultimately be his priority.
Admittedly, he gets very little help down the right from Ayoze Perez, but even accounting for the Spaniard’s unwillingness to track back, Yedlin looks like a terrifying liability.
His positional awareness is far beneath where it should be for a Premier League footballer, and unless something is done to solve his current malaise, it’s only a matter of time before he costs his side big time.
