Rafa's tactics tonight

[toptoon]

I agree with the OP - I thought Rafa’s tactics were right. Unfortunately the life of a toon supporter these days is going to games and hoping for an upset. All of their bench would be the first names on a Newcastle team sheet every week.
Last night was a bit like sitting down at Hampden to watch Scotland v France - a huge gulf in class but just hoping the crowd can give a advantage, that the visitors play badly and that we get some luck.
No ctiticism to Atsu who was one of our best players but how different it could’ve been if he could shoot?

This has got to stop.

[waalsendmick]

While we sat back and gave them 75% possession until they scored , we made them look better than they were.
Their defence was shaky and slow and when we started attacking they looked dodgy .
Benitez must tell the team you ain't good enough to play possession and not good enough to attack so we defend for 90% of the game .
This was a lack lustre manure team and certainly didn't justify giving them 77% possession for long spells.
The tactics of writing off any hope of playing football against better teams will bite us on the arse as we need points . Waiting to pick points v the lower teams , who may well strengthen in Jan and put up more fight could well backfire.

What on earth are you hoping for, from the shower of Shiite we call a premier league squad?

[TheBigSausage]

I agree with the OP - I thought Rafa’s tactics were right. Unfortunately the life of a toon supporter these days is going to games and hoping for an upset. All of their bench would be the first names on a Newcastle team sheet every week.
Last night was a bit like sitting down at Hampden to watch Scotland v France - a huge gulf in class but just hoping the crowd can give a advantage, that the visitors play badly and that we get some luck.
No ctiticism to Atsu who was one of our best players but how different it could’ve been if he could shoot?

This has got to stop.

Waiting for them to score then chase the game is tactics? If lukaku and Sanchez had of started instead of the woeful Mata and Martial, they would have scored a few more.
I've seen milk turn quicker than Jones .. We needed to go at them .. This was by no stretch of the imagination a good man Utd team , they have struggled at the back all season , and did so when we attacked also.
We simply have no chance of scoring when we left them stroll around with 75% possession.

[TheBigSausage]

What on earth are you hoping for, from the shower of Shiite we call a premier league squad?

When we attacked we caused them problems .. When we sat back with 10 defenders we didn't .. writing off any attacking play against the top 12 , even at home , will not keep us up .
Goals will keep us up .. Not vague hopes of a clean sheet .

[Zippity]

While we sat back and gave them 75% possession until they scored , we made them look better than they were.
Their defence was shaky and slow and when we started attacking they looked dodgy .
Benitez must tell the team you ain't good enough to play possession and not good enough to attack so we defend for 90% of the game .
This was a lack lustre manure team and certainly didn't justify giving them 77% possession for long spells.
The tactics of writing off any hope of playing football against better teams will bite us on the arse as we need points . Waiting to pick points v the lower teams , who may well strengthen in Jan and put up more fight could well backfire.

Lacklustre? I disagree-some of their movement and passing was very good. But I also disagree with the whole premise behind your post-I've seen us sit back a lot more than that...we actually had a go at them last night and in parts, especially on the left, played some decent stuff of our own at times. Rafa came up with a plan to get something out of the game and it was working...sadly, our players were/are too sh!t to carry it out. Then they brought £120 million worth of talent off the bench and onto a pitch where 8 of the starting 11 were in the Chimpo with us. Howay, man.

[waalsendmick]

When we attacked we caused them problems .. When we sat back with 10 defenders we didn't .. writing off any attacking play against the top 12 , even at home , will not keep us up .
Goals will keep us up .. Not vague hopes of a clean sheet .

It is sitting back that allows us to attack... it is how counter attacking football works. The problem is, our whole midfield is awful, so possession football is completely out of the question (we simply cannot break teams down - Brighton and Fulham games) but our lack of quality in the opposition half means most of our counter attacks come to nothing.

Rafa has his hands tied and most can see this

[waalsendmick]

Lacklustre? I disagree-some of their movement and passing was very good. But I also disagree with the whole premise behind your post-I've seen us sit back a lot more than that...we actually had a go at them last night and in parts, especially on the left, played some decent stuff of our own at times. Rafa came up with a plan to get something out of the game and it was working...sadly, our players were/are too sh!t to carry it out. Then they brought £120 million worth of talent off the bench and onto a pitch where 8 of the starting 11 were in the Chimpo with us. Howay, man.

In a nutshell.

[Geordie_Jacko]

Sorry but I just don't agree Rafa got it right again, we got beat again that's not getting it right weather we are against United or not. We got nilled at home and like somebody else said that was a lackluster ManU last night. Yeah if Atsu could shoot we may have done better but we may well not have either. People talking like he had loads of clear cut chances he didn't, yeah he should be working the keeper but not necessarily scoring from them opportunity's. I know we were in it until Dubravka Fu(ked up. But that's just it with these tactics we are in games for so long, never luck like winning just in the game until we either make a mistake or just eventually get broken down. The tactics for any team playing us must be "look lads there gonna sit back but just play your game and the goal will come". And it often does even against the lesser teams. We need to start having more of a Fu(king go not even necessarily attacking but at least try hold onto the ball for a while. The possession we give teams across the 90 minutes week in week out is appalling.

[Geordie_Jacko]

Lacklustre? I disagree-some of their movement and passing was very good. But I also disagree with the whole premise behind your post-I've seen us sit back a lot more than that...we actually had a go at them last night and in parts, especially on the left, played some decent stuff of our own at times. Rafa came up with a plan to get something out of the game and it was working...sadly, our players were/are too sh!t to carry it out. Then they brought £120 million worth of talent off the bench and onto a pitch where 8 of the starting 11 were in the Chimpo with us. Howay, man.

There always gonna play some decent football but there overall performance wasn't all that imo. We need to forget about how much teams are worth and what there benches are worth that's just a given. I wouldn't really say we had a go at the either. We had a few decent breaks but that's far from actually having a go at them. I don't know I'm just fed up with it all. Regardless who we play the way we are playing with the lack of possession we are there for the taking every week.

[toonlegend]

we had the chances to win - but none of our players can hit a barn door at 2 yards - or if they do it trickles into the goalies hands the shot is so weak.

don't know about rafa telling them they aren't good enough to play but whenever they were pissing about with the ball just outside the penalty area - i was screaming at them that they aren't good enough to piss about and get it upfield