Match Summary

Newcastle started on the back foot in the match. Watford were getting players high up the pitch and keeping possession. Their midfield was safe with Capoue and Doucoure shoring things up. Success had the measure of Yedlin early on as he combined with Holebas and Pereyra down the left to play in Deulofeu.

25 minutes in and Watford had twice as many attempts (8 to our 4), more tackles and more interceptions. It was a display of poor finishing as Mariappa and Deulofeu spurned good chances to put them ahead.

The half continued with Watford playing the better football but Newcastle never looked on the ropes. We’ve become accustomed to seeing Newcastle look calm with a low block back 4 but this performance was different. Newcastle alleviated pressure by carrying the ball forward through direct dribbling.

Kenedy and Ritchie tucking in allows Newcastle a higher concentration of players in the middle of the pitch, with Yedlin and Dummett staying deep and wide to protect the flanks. By the end of the half Newcastle completed 5 dribbles to Watford’s 0, with Kenedy responsible for 3 of them.

The 2nd half saw Ayoze and Schär in the lineup in place of Muto (off just before half time) and Lascelles (off at half time). Schär, in particular, brought a new dynamic to the defense. Lascelles is irreplaceable, his leadership and organisation is obvious to anyone who follows Newcastle United matches. He does lack in certain technical aspects to his game though, notably passing out from the back. Schär, despite being less disciplined, is much more adept at moving the ball up the pitch. Within seconds of the restart, he demonstrated this by calmly exchanging passes with Dubravka and playing a ball Newcastle benefited from.