Newcastle news: 'Let's keep Isak happy'
It wouldn't be Newcastle United if it was all easy now would it? We've been saying for weeks that Champions League qualification is very much in our hands. And we find ourselves as fans once again checking who Villa are playing, who Forest are playing, what the goal difference is, etc, etc.
We managed to grab a point this weekend to stay (un)comfortably in the mix but thanks to a weakened (or just not bothered?) Liverpool side capitulating to Chelsea our fixture this coming Sunday becomes absolutely huge. We're up for the challenge. I think.
Some questions are being asked of Alexander Isak and whether or not he is fully fit. It's funny - if you look at his stats this season he has scored 23 goals, and yet it feels like we haven't fully unlocked his potential. Yes, we scored a penalty this weekend - but that was only his second touch in the opposition box. In the 89th minute.
My two cents are that he is fit - he played the whole game and didn't need to be replaced at any point - but something slightly tactically isn't working. I'd like to see Anthony Gordon back and working with him but here is where I am going to surprise you: I am not a qualified football coach and I don't know how to fix it. I know. I know!
Maybe I'm being greedy - 23 goals is a lot of goals! But I also want Isak to be happy at Newcastle and I think he (a striker) is very happy when scoring goals. Seeing him throw his hands up, exasperated not to get on the end of a cross, or to be not crossed to at all, worries me (though I acknowledge that worrying me specifically is not a difficult thing to do). He is vital to a Champions League or any other European campaign next season. Let's keep him happy.
Find more from Charlotte Robson at the True Faith: Newcastle United Podcast, external
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