JOHNGIBSON Home comforts are so needed and long overdue
TOON HAVE TO BEAT FOXES
NEWCASTLE must surely hoist the flag of victory over St James’ Park tomorrow afternoon.
It is unthinkable they could go seven straight matches at the start of a new season without tasting champagne once.
Equally, I cannot imagine United losing FOUR successive home games, which would be their shocking record should Leicester City triumph at the cathedral on the hill.
There now. How is that for positivity?
Well, er, actually I am relying heavily on the law of averages which must come down firmly in United’s favour. Mustn’t it? Surely!
I am banking primarily on that rather than the Mags going on a goal spree and actually scoring more than once in a match for a change.
Leicester, unlikely champions not that long ago, come with plenty of stars twinkling as a warning to United.
There is the relentless road runner Jamie Vardy, England’s new World Cup hero Harry Maguire and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel for a start. Plus new kid on the block James Maddison, who has everyone talking. Maddison, still only 21, was plucked from Norwich City in the Championship during the summer for £20m, which is way more than Newcastle have ever paid for a footballer in their 126-year history. You have to speculate to accumulate Mr Ashley!
Can United match them man for man in each position? Well, Martin Dubravka, Jamaal Lascelles and Jonjo Shelvey may compete but certainly the home side do not have a striker of the goal potential of Vardy - and that is he problem. Someone has to step up to the plate and finish.
There is a train of thought, voiced by some supporters, that in a land where crumbs are the staple diet Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dwight Gayle may well carry more goal threat than Joselu and, yes, probably Salomon Rondon as well. The trouble is Rafa Benitez did not fancy them, especially Mitro, knowing the Serb was never inspired to go on and excel in the way he has at Fulham under a fellow countryman.
Oil and water do not mix. Mitrovic under Benitez was nothing like the player he is under Slavisa Jokanovic.
He now plays in a significantly different way – here he was a lone front man holding the ball up and flogging himself relentlessly running without support, while at Craven Cottage wide men and midfielders play to his strengths.
No matter. That was then. This is now and Rondon and Joselu are the main men, like it or not.
Good enough or not. Only January can change that.
The jury has still to be out on Rondon simply because he has never occupied the field of play long enough each match day to help us make up our minds.
Nor will he here, apparently injured. Boy, this reeks of Slimani.
As a one-off at least I hope, nay expect, AN Other to produce a killer goal against Peter’s son Kasper and bring belated joy to a stricken people. We dare not think of anything less.