Andy Carroll; A class of his own
For a club of Newcastle’s pedigree it was utter humiliation to be relegated from the Championship but they bounced back in style, winning automatic promotion by claiming the entry just 12 months after suffering the humiliation.
Newcastle’s journey back into the top flight was never going to be rosy after the recent influx of insane money into the game and with the likes of Chelsea and City spending insane amounts of money to buy the title.
Newcastle were expected to be the whipping boys this season but on the evidence of their performance against Champions League aspirers, Aston Villa, they will be anything but.
Newcastle were handed a tough opening fixture against Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United and to be beaten 3-0 at Old Trafford is by no means a calamity but they turned on the style in the very next game as a pathetic Aston Villa just had no answers to the brilliance of the Geordie boys.
Manchester United taught Newcastle a lesson in midfield play where Paul, ‘the ginger head’, Scholes dominated the proceedings. The midfielder masterfully pulled the strings as he orchestrated a magnificent opening win for his team.
Newcastle looked down but not out as in the very next game they bounced back and that too with the loudest of bangs, thrashing Aston Villa by a whopping 6 goals to nil and that too in the absence of their midfield talisman Peter Lovenkrands.
Chris Hughton, the Newcastle manager kept faith in the same starting 11 that took the field against Alex Ferguson’s men just a week ago and his faith was repaid emphatically by his troops. The toons monopolized the midfield play as Aston Villa were rugged in the middle of the park. Had Johanathan Carew not blasted his spot kick over the bar the outcome might have been very different but Villa just wilted after the recklessly missed penalty and Ashley Young’s disallowed goal. Newcastle somehow got rejuvenated and flourished as the game went on.
Wearing the famous number 9 shirt, Andy Carroll lead the Geordie attack and was rewarded with a hat trick for his sublime attacking play. He was instructed by his manager to use his godly gifted heading skills and pulled beyond the backpost at every opportunity when the ball was played in from the wings. The 21 year old gave the young and aspiring Ciaren Clark a constant headache. The striker flicked headers from everywhere inside the box and his positioning at the far post, when the play was wide, provided his team a clear ascendency over both the Villa centre backs whenever the ball was delivered in the box.
Carroll was a master class in leading the Newcastle line without a striker partner. Kevin Nolan was his nearest accomplice with Joey ‘the weird moustache’ Barton and Alan smith forging ahead whenever an opportunity presented itself. Alan Smith nullified Stephen Ireland’s midfield presence on his debut with a determined and supremely disciplined man marking.
Carroll was an outstanding contributor to the game and has seen his chances of progressing into Capello’s squad greatly enhanced just on the back of this one performance.
The Newcastle forward used the space created by two genuinely marauding wingers patrolling the flanks while Luke Young and Stephen Warnock were stifled and looked out of sorts against the direct dribbling opponents.
Stilian Petrov was overworked in the midfield as Newcastle widened the play utilizing the full width of the pitch. Marc Albrighton and Stuart Downing could not provide the attacking impetus and Ashley Young also needed to drop deep for defensive duties.
Kevin MacDonald might be thinking that he may have used the more experienced head of Richard Dunne to mark Andy Carroll but Carroll was a class of his own and made himself available as a target, both while working in tandem with Nolan running forward, and when asked to be the barrier to retain possession high up the field.
Villa offered very little in going forward and were forced to defend corners, aerial raids and tantalizing wing play but it was a local lad who stole the show and was head and shoulders above everyone else on the night.
Tags: