The sign of a good team is being able to win a game when not playing at your best, and that is exactly what Newcastle United managed to do yesterday afternoon.
Matthias Jaissle won’t be overly pleased with his side’s performance against Crystal Palace, but he will no doubt be delighted that they still managed to secure a 2-0 victory.
The Magpies’ triumph was just their second on the road this campaign, adding to the win secured against Tottenham Hotspur way back at the end of August.
However, despite the vital three points in South London, a handful of starters will be lucky to hold onto such a role after their showings against the Eagles.
Newcastle’s poor performers against Crystal Palace
After a torrid run with injuries in recent months, Jaissle decided to hand just a second league start of the campaign to Newcastle midfielder Joelinton at Selhurst Park.
The Brazilian was unable to repay the faith shown in him by the German, subsequently only being able to complete 65% of the passes he attempted during the triumph.
As a result of his wasteful nature, the 30-year-old gave the ball back to the opposition on 19 occasions, and was often unable to provide any quality in transition.
Without the ball, the fan-favourite was just as ineffective yesterday, as demonstrated in his inability to come out on top of any of the tackles he entered.
Joelinton certainly wasn’t alone in failing to produce the goods for the Magpies, with fellow midfielder Nico Gonzalez also struggling to match the expectations after his summer move.
The Spaniard arrived from Manchester City for a reported £52m during the last window, but has yet to showcase why the board spent so heavily to secure his services.
He was also guilty of struggling to maintain possession at Selhurst Park, as seen by his own tally of 14 times possession lost and a measly 70% pass success rate.
Why Jaissle must axe Newcastle flop after Palace
Given the struggles during the first half, it’s clear that Jaissle still has things to work on at Newcastle if he is to be a success during his tenure on Tyneside.
The German has baffled fans with his selection choices over the last couple of weeks, with his starting eleven once again coming into question before kick-off.
He decided to hand Jacob Murphy yet another start despite his recent struggles for the Magpies, but he did manage to silence some of his critics after registering an assist for Will Osula.
Harvey Barnes’ second goal put the shine on the 2-0 win in South London, and undoubtedly papered over the cracks of the disappointing display produced by Joe Willock.
As has been the case for the majority of the 2026/27 season, the manager decided to utilise the Englishman in the number ten role for the meeting with Palace yesterday.
However, his continued faith in the 27-year-old must now come to an end, as he failed to produce the goods and often struggled to provide a positive impact in the final third.
Willock, who joined for £20m in the summer of 2021, featured for 77 minutes of the triumph, but could only register 39 touches of the ball – a tally lower than that of goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek.
His lack of positive impact in possession was further evident in his tally of just two passes into the final third, which resulted in him completing just 70% of his passes.
|
Joe Willock – stats vs Crystal Palace |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Minutes played |
77 |
|
Touches |
39 |
|
Pass accuracy |
70% |
|
Possession lost |
15x |
|
Passes into final third |
2 |
|
Dribbles completed |
0 |
|
Duels lost |
69% |
|
Shots taken |
0 |
Such a lowly figure was a result of his wasteful efforts in trying to pick out a teammate in South London, as he gifted possession back to the hosts 15 times yesterday.
Willock did try to progress the play by trying to dribble the ball past the opposition’s midfield, but was only able to complete one of the five efforts he attempted.
Despite the struggles of Pierre Sage’s men, they were still able to contain the threat of the Englishman, as he came out second best in 69% of the ground duels he contested.
After such a performance yesterday, it’s vital that the manager takes action and finally drops Willock out of his starting eleven in favour of another attacking talent.
It’s clear he’s unable to deliver the performances expected from the fanbase, with the 27-year-old no longer at the level needed from a starting midfielder in the Premier League.
