Newcastle United defender Jetro Willems has admitted that his teammates were tired and confused at the beginning of the season in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old shared that the win against Bournemouth was much-needed to follow up the 3-2 victory against West Ham United the week before that.
Willems praised the solidarity his side are now showing after only winning two games in their opening 10 games of the season against Tottenham and Manchester United.
“It was a good win for us – and we needed it,” he told the Chronicle.
“We were looking a bit confused as a team not too long ago. In previous games, we looked tired but now are looking quite safe.”
Newcastle currently sit two points behind fifth-placed Sheffield United in the Premier League before they travel to face Aston Villa on Monday evening.
OPINION
Willems’ admission pretty much sums up the start to the season made by Newcastle under Steve Bruce. The Magpies looked like they didn’t know each other, and it really affected them going forward. Confusion is the perfect word to describe the partnerships in the final third, where they looked out of touch – something that really affected their results. Bruce will be hoping that the back-to-back wins will give his side the boost needed to push forward, and Willems’ comments certainly show that they are ready to continue that form. You only have to look at the flourishing partnership between the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron to see that Bruce’s methods are starting to pay off. Newcastle staying safe at the back whilst being exciting in attack will be the key to them picking up three points on a consistent basis and ultimately cementing a spot in the top half of the Premier League.
