After three Magpies made it in Alan Shearer’s Team of the Week for the Manchester City draw, it’s just one for the win at Sheffield United. That is Federico Fernandez, who makes it two weeks in a row in Alan’s team.
? @alanshearer's Team of the Week ?
Agree with his picks? pic.twitter.com/1gYKtq7ohU
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 6, 2019
Fernandez was again outstanding against the Blades last night as he was like a brick wall. The 30-year-old did an amazing job in helping to keep Newcastle so hard to break down.
Fede’s top performances has kept arguably our best player, Fabian Schar, on the sidelines over the last three matches. Fabian missed three games due to a knee injury beginning with the Wolves draw to close October. He then missed our two wins at West Ham and against Bournemouth.
However, Fernandez played so well in those matches, even notching a goal and an assist, that he’s kept Fabian out despite his return from injury at Aston Villa a few weeks ago.
It speaks volumes to Fernandez’s performances that he’s been selected twice over the past two games for Shearer’s Team of the Week.
The only question we have is, where’s Martin Dubravka? He made Shearer’s team for the weekend but misses out to Crystal Palace keeper Vicente Guaita who kept a clean sheet against Bournemouth despite the Eagles being down to 10 men for most of the match.
While we may be a little biased, we think Dubravka had a better game, but we’ll forgive Alan for his mistake this time. 🙂
What Will Be The Result Against Southampton On Sunday?
- Win (71%, 1,015 )
- Draw (19%, 277 )
- Loss (10%, 141 )
Total Voters: 1,433
24 comments so far
ronaldo aarons
Dec 6, 2019 at 6:41 PM
Comment #1I thought shelvey was great yesterday. I’m not his biggest fan but always happy to give credit when deserved. Thought from a solely defensive point of view, he was great. Disciplined, got tackles and blocks in and kept his concentration. One of the better defensive performances he’s given for us imo.
ASM seemed to be carrying a knock all game and seemed to be hobbling most of the time. Hope he’s not pushed to aggravate an injury although we do need him.
I don’t buy in to this whole we’ve been more attacking this season than last season. We are playing very similarly to how we finished the campaign last season, just missing the goal contributions that Perez and rondon gave us.
Don’t care about possession stats, never have done. Absolute meaningless to me. Thought we rode our luck at times but all in all was a decent away performance at a tough ground. Could have made more use of the ball and improved on counter opportunities but we never did. Great result.
ronaldo aarons
Dec 6, 2019 at 6:45 PM
Comment #2If Rafa was a failure at Napoli then I would take many failures at Newcastle if finishing 3rd and 5th while winning silverware each season on a 2 year contract is failing. I mean they had only won one trophy in the past 20 years before Rafa.
Sports Direct FC
Dec 6, 2019 at 7:20 PM
Comment #3Have to love the blog. Catchy been waiting 2 years to unload about Rafa, lol. Well you should feel better getting your obsessive hate out of the way. Catchy you going to disappear again for six months at the end of season because you couldn’t say nothing bad about Rafa when he was winning? What a joke.
Then the “I hate Rafa” crew complaining about everyone always talking about Rafa yet that’s all they do, lol. You really cant make this stuff up.
DubaiMicky
Dec 6, 2019 at 7:48 PM
Comment #4Onward and upward – hopefully we can rotate a few players, cos ASM looked like he was hobbling as previously mentioned and another game in under 3 days is a big ask, there were some tired legs on the pitch last night.
I’d start Carroll again – he adds a lot to the squad, he’s a great defender (for a striker), and his nudge down to Shelvey was sublime.
Here’s hoping for another 3 points on Sunday – at least it’s a decent ko for me, 6pm and happy hour to 8!
Hail Wor Ashley
Dec 6, 2019 at 7:55 PM
Comment #5Need to get Fernandez signed up to a new deal, current one expires end of this season. Proper defender, warrior and very intelligent.
swemag
Dec 6, 2019 at 7:56 PM
Comment #6Impressed with Manquillo again. Perfect cross for the goal. He is a football player, a real one. Has vision and can control the ball.
Keep him.
catchy in norway
Dec 6, 2019 at 8:13 PM
Comment #7Ok, so I don’t like Rafas football, but when does that mean I hate RAFa?
My argument has always been, his stats don’t add up to hero worship.
Chrisy H, no trophies, but I hold him in very high regard.
Pardew, don’t like the man or his football, but his record at Nufc is way better than Rafa..
Facts don’t bash, facts are the truth. You either like his football or you don’t, he is a hoofball specialist, just like Pardew, Sam, pulis, there is no denying it.
Mindshaft
Dec 6, 2019 at 8:34 PM
Comment #8Catchy – what’s your obsession and what is your point , Bruce is the manager with an 80 million front line that no manager for the past 10 years has had ?
JohnReese
Dec 6, 2019 at 8:58 PM
Comment #9I have to say a noticeable difference for me last night in Shelvey was his much more measured approach to his passing. Wasn’t always looking for the long diagonals, kept it simpler on a number of occasions.
I hope that’s something he can continue with and improve upon over the remainder of the season as it would be a massive contributor to us holding onto possession more.
investinyouthtoon
Dec 6, 2019 at 9:25 PM
Comment #10Catchy, I agree Rafa’s stats on occasion and his football weren’t the best, yet he was able to win silverware and deliver great success to both Liverpool and valencia, fact. The point many people have made despite the rafa bashers best attempts was that he inspired the fans and give them hope for a slightly brighter future and brought together the local and wider community and give his time towards great causes including the food banks. Rafa to many was a person people could look up to and give them reason to believe again despite hope looking a very long way off.
Scythe For Bruce
Dec 6, 2019 at 9:46 PM
Comment #11Nice assist tonight for Sammy Ameobi in what I thought was going to be the winner in the Millwall/Forest game, but a late equaliser cancelled it out again. Not a bad game. Jed Wallace looks like he might be worth a punt for a bottom half Premier League club. Wonder how much they’d want for him?
Nicky the ball tosser
Dec 6, 2019 at 9:48 PM
Comment #12He turned around the culture of the club and constantly challenged the owner to do better. Won the Championship, and re-established us as a top flight club, in 3 years, on a zero net spend. He lifted us up when we were down and built a platform for a potentially far better future, if only the owner had bought into it. He was a champion for us, no doubt, even if he did drop a clanger in marginalizing my pal Mitro. 🙂
jane
Dec 6, 2019 at 9:59 PM
Comment #13looked like Forest were going to win it with Ameobi’s assist but for the Forest keepers error in stoppage time.
Nicky the ball tosser
Dec 6, 2019 at 9:59 PM
Comment #14The tragedy of course is that he couldn’t quite keep us up.
Where would we be now, had he managed that?
Solid top 8 easy I’d wager, before Ashley’s nonsense would inevitably have its way.
Essex Geordie Bill
Dec 6, 2019 at 10:05 PM
Comment #15Don’t know if people are now taking more notice of Shelvey’s performances but imo he’s playing no different to how he’s always played, just hasn’t had the credit.
Essex Geordie Bill
Dec 6, 2019 at 10:07 PM
Comment #16Perhaps they should build a shrine to Rafa in the city!
Nicky the ball tosser
Dec 6, 2019 at 10:14 PM
Comment #17Bill, I think that since Villa Shelvey has quite noticeably put in a more disciplined defensive shift when the opposition has the ball, as well as gotten on the ball a bit higher up the pitch and gotten box to box when it’s on, and tried to pass the ball forward more often. He’s in form and playing in a manner that the side needs, rather than the way he’s most comfortable.
Nicky the ball tosser
Dec 6, 2019 at 10:20 PM
Comment #18He’s been playing more like Longstaff, and in this form, doing it better.
Munster Mag
Dec 6, 2019 at 10:28 PM
Comment #19Top man, bit of a quiet thug ?
lesh
Dec 6, 2019 at 11:00 PM
Comment #20Catchy
You just don’t or won’t get why people react to your attacks on Rafa.
Rafa’s been the only man since Keegan who’d seen the potential at the club, struck up a real relationship with the fans and the City.
Rafael, like Keegan, had the balls to challenge Ashley’s approach to running the club on lean burn and it’s because of that, he like KK is and always be a hero in most fans’ eyes.
Try to see the bigger picture and stop undermining all the good that Rafa did for Newcastle United, the club you claim to support.
Nicky the ball tosser
Dec 6, 2019 at 11:03 PM
Comment #21I think Steve Bruce took a little too long to realize that both Fede and Manquillo should be in the starting 11, but all’s well that ends well. In the New Year, I think our preferred starting 11 will look something like this, once he fully recognizes exactly what he’s got.
…………….Dubravka.
……..Scharr..Fede..Lejeune.
Manquillo…………………..Willems.
…………Hayden…Shelvey.
…….Joel………………….St Max.
……………….Carroll.
With Miggy, Lascelles, Ritchie and Sean Longstaff just missing out when all are fully fit.
lesh
Dec 6, 2019 at 11:03 PM
Comment #22Nicky the ball tosser
Didn’t see your earlier post about giving Rafa the credit he deserves. It seems there’s more see the good that Rafa did and care a little less about playing systems etc.
Nicky the ball tosser
Dec 6, 2019 at 11:30 PM
Comment #23Well, I wasn’t totally enamored with the way he set us up in our Championship season, which might be a bit harsh considering we won it. 🙂
But otherwise, yeah, I thought he was exactly what was needed. A perfect fit. I’m still angry that he’s gone, however, I also readily accept Bruce is doing well with the group.
Still plenty of time for things to go pear shaped of course, and we don’t know yet at all if he can convince Ashley to play with a relatively straight bat, which Rafa was pretty relentless about.
Ketsbaia9
Dec 7, 2019 at 11:55 AM
Comment #24Joelinton ahead of Almiron? Are you crazy. Almiron is one of our best players. Needs to play all the time. Hayden and Dummett need selling.