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Jenas heaps praise on goal-hungry defence

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Jermaine Jenas has heaped praise on Newcastle United’s defence after their 2-1 win over Bournemouth.

The BBC pundit admitted that the lack of goals coming from the Magpies’ front three is a concern in the Premier League, but that Steve Bruce will not care where they come from as long as his side are winning.

Jenas was impressed with how Newcastle’s defenders have continued to find the back of the net, with DeAndre Yedlin and Ciaran Clark scoring on Saturday – two strikes that mean their backline has contributed to over 60% of their tally this season.

“It’s always a good thing if the ball’s hitting the back of the net and right now the strikers are struggling a little bit, snatching at their opportunities but the defenders are really pitching in,” he said on Match of the Day, as quoted by the Chronicle.

OPINION

Newcastle are quietly going about their business in the Premier League, and they are starting to climb up the table without minimum fuss. Bruce deserves great credit for the system he has set up which has seen a number of his players start performing at their highest levels. Even without the goals, Bruce has managed to start and get the best out of his somewhat blunt front three, who have used their blistering pace to cause so many problems against both West Ham United and Bournemouth in recent weeks. The goals will start to flow if they continue that, so if Newcastle’s defence can pick up wins from their defender’s goals, for now, it shouldn’t be too long until the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron start to follow suit. Bruce will be delighted when the ball hits the back of the net, no matter who scores and he will be delighted that his side are sitting just outside of the top-half in the Premier League going into the international break.

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