1860 Munich 0-3 Newcastle United: Allan Saint Maximin has work to do ahead of the new season while Sven Botman makes his first appearance in black and white… FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED as Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes seal the victory
- Newcastle opened their Tour of Austria on Friday with a 3-0 win over 1860 Bayern
- Allan Saint-Maximin was frustrating and was able to benefit from Eddie Howe
- Sven Botman made his debut but it remains to be seen who will accompany him
- 19-year-old Elliot Anderson impressed and now looks like a seasoned player
- Bruno Guimaraes also performed well with a goal and an assist
Newcastle United started the pre-season in Austria with a comfortable 3-0 win over 1860 Munich.
The quality only dropped in the second half Eddie Howe‘s side began to show itself with Joe WillockSean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes in goal against German third division teams.
Our Northeast football correspondent Craig Hope was at the Saalfelden Arena at the foot of the Leoganger Steinberge to catch the action. Here he brings you five talking points from the game…
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle opened their tour of Austria with a 3-0 win over 1860 Munich
It took work to get Allan to his Max…
Newcastle would have made around £40million offers to Allan Saint-Maximin earlier in the summer. They weren’t ready and there’s now a feeling the winger could benefit from a full season under Howe’s helm.
Much work remains to be done on this evidence. Everything that can frustrate the French showed up here. Too often he ventures down dead ends only to be robbed of his possessions.
He remains the most dangerous attacking option available to Howe and as a result he must find a way to turn those skills into something more than an endless routine of fruitless dribbling.
The talent is there, we know that, but it needs to be used better.
Anderson has a chance…
Elliot Anderson brought Bristol Rovers to automatic promotion during a sensational loan from the lower divisions of the second division last season.
Rarely has a teenager made such an impact on the fortunes of a loan club in such a short amount of time – he only joined on the January deadline. Howe started here with him in midfield and there’s a feeling that if he impresses he could stay at St James’ Park for the first half of the season rather than being loaned out, especially as he doesn’t take a place in the 25-man squad.
What was immediately noticeable was his physical growth since his last appearance in black and white – from a boy to a man it seems.
He would no doubt have liked to inject himself more into the game, but there were flashes of touch and imagination that won comparisons to Peter Beardsley.
A run and pullback for Callum Wilson would have earned a goal, but the forward clinched from 10 yards. Anderson will need to do more in preseason, but he certainly looked at home in senior environments.
Who will be Botman’s Robin?
Sven Botman was unveiled at half-time for the Dutchman’s debut following his £32million arrival from Lille. Interestingly, the left footer played alongside Dan Burn as a right centre-back.
They measure 13ft between the two, which could come in handy considering how poorly Newcastle handled set pieces in the first half. Botman switched to his favored side when Fabian Schar replaced Burn on the hour and it remains to be seen which duo Howe will start the season with.
It would be tough for Burn if he found his way out of the team because the Geordie was great in the second half of last season. Botman once looked a little uncertain when deployed on the right flank and lost sight of a striker, but was cool and composed to the majority.
Howe – who also has captain Jamaal Lascelles – will argue that the decision he faces at the center of his defense is a nice quibble.
Midfield two in good shape…
Howe played pretty much an XI in the first hour and another XI in the final 30 minutes. The two players who definitely caught the eye were Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff. They looked sharp and lean like they’d put in an extra effort over the summer.
Given the competition for a spot in Howe’s midfield three, they’d be right. Brazilian pairing Joelinton and Bruno will almost certainly start, with Shelvey, Longstaff, Willock and possibly Anderson fighting for the remaining spot.
Bruno is a class…
The £35million star from Brazil scored one goal and assisted another during 30 minutes on the pitch. But it was a turn of events to send his marker for the bockwurst that earned the biggest cheers from fans who had traveled with him.
Howe’s challenge is to build a forward unit that feeds on Bruno’s progressive passes and cute touches around opponents. We already knew it, but he really has class.
