Season was hardest and the best - Yedlin
NEWCASTLE United defender DeAndre Yedlin has offered a fascinating insight into Newcastle’s first season back in the top flight.
The USA international rightback made 34 appearances for the Magpies as they became the first newly-promoted side in five years to secure a top-half finish.
The 24-year-old established himself as the club’s number one right-back and he is now on international duty with the USA.
And on his return home, he paid a visit to former club Seattle Sounders to record the ‘Winging it’ podcast with former Sounders midfielder Steve Zakuani.
In a wide-ranging podcast, Yedlin begins by discussing Newcastle, as he looks back on Newcastle’s 2017/18 campaign, cementing his place as the club’s number one right-back and discussing the best team he has played against.
ON NEWCASTLE’S 17/18 CAMPAIGN
“Team-wise, it was honestly one of the hardest seasons I have been a part of but also one of the best.
“Our season started so well but we were a team that was just promoted and we hadn’t really brought anyone else in.
“It is funny with the media because when we were in the Championship we were a Premier League team in the Championship. Then when we were in the Premier League, we were a Championship team in the Premier League.
“I don’t think many people had great expectations for us but we started well and then we went nine games without a win.
“Then pretty much everybody around the team, besides the team, was getting negative.
“But I think the good thing about this team is that we all stayed together, we all stayed positive.
“I think that’s the good thing about Rafa Benitez - he kept everyone positive.
“He said nobody was expecting us to stay up so we have nothing to lose. We know how good we are and we know how good we can be.
“And from 2018 we just cracked on and started beating some big teams, winning some important games and we ended up finishing in tenth position.”
ON CEMENTING HIS PLACE AS THE NUMBER ONE RIGHTBACK
“When we were going through that rough patch, Rafa kept me in there.
“I kind of thought, OK, he has a lot of trust in me.
“It was kind of from that point that I thought I had that position but I knew I couldn’t get complacent. You can’t get complacent over there.”
ON THE BEST TEAM HE PLAYED AGAINST
“Manchester City. It was ridiculous.
“I remember playing at City. It was actually 2-0 and I came on for 15 minutes and we scored to make it 2-1.
“Then Sane got the ball, did a madness, dribbled through three or four people then it was just me one-on-one against him in the box.
“Fake shot with his right, bang.
“Straight through my legs on the left, and that will be on the highlights reel for years to come.”