Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

News

Valentino Lazaro sums up fan worries: ‘Unfortunately, the whole team fell apart’

4 years ago
Share

It was an ‘interesting’ first Newcastle United start for Valentino Lazaro.

Newcastle playing ok in the first half and the 23 year old looking decent going forward, as well as putting in some far better balls on set-pieces than has become the norm this season.

However, a very different situation after the break as both Valentino Lazaro and the team overall collapsed.

The loan player summing it up: ‘It was a really good first half from us at Arsenal…Second half, after those two quick goals, we fell apart.’

Valentino Lazaro at least partly at fault on the first goal, Fernandez telling him to get closer to Aubameyang to help defend Pepe’s cross, instead the striker was left between the two defenders for a totally free header to open the scoring.

Lazaro also not great on the killer second goal, Pepe making it 2-0 only three minutes later.

Both Valentino Lazaro and Danny Rose needed to get regular football after having been sidelined by their respective clubs, as they try to ensure their places at the summer Euros.

It looks very doubtful that either loan player sees their stay as anything but temporary, leaving major doubts as to the benefits of bringing in new players who don’t arrive match fit with only a maximum of 13 Premier League games in which they can start.

With Steve Bruce employing such negative tactics week on week, it is an additional worry when Valentino Lazaro declares: ‘I’m adjusting to that [playing wing-back], you can see that I’m a winger and my strengths are in attack.’

With Newcastle handing control and possession to the opposition, if Lazaro stays at wing-back, he will almost certainly be asked to do a lot more defending than getting forward.

I think it is clear that like Danny Rose, Valentino Lazaro has ability. The question though is whether he will have any real proper chance to shine, if Steve Bruce continues with Lazaro as a wing-back and uses the same tactics/formation?

Valentino Lazaro speaking to the Northern Echo after Arsenal 4 Newcastle 0:

“It was a really good first half from us at Arsenal.

“We showed that we came here with the desire to take points and maybe win.

“We came out in the second half and within two minutes lost our game, we have to learn from that.

“Of course, 4-0 is a bit harsh, but if it’s 2-0, 3-0 or 4-0, it’s a loss that we have to take on our shoulders.

“We messed up second half and we have got to keep our heads up and learn from that and hopefully bounce back.

“We showed confidence and we had a lot of chances where we could have scored ourselves, the game was open.

“They needed two quick goals and everybody knows they have world class players, they got confidence to really show that and we just have to learn from that.”

“The first half I felt very good and confident on the pitch, I had a lot of ways forward and also with the set-pieces.

“We had some chances to score, for my first start I was really happy with the first half.

“Second half, after those two quick goals, we fell apart.

“Unfortunately, for the second goal, Nicolas Pepe gets the ball between my feet and that was very unlucky.

“Unfortunately, after that, the whole team fell apart. We have to bounce back from those mentally tough situations.

“I’m adjusting to that [playing wing-back], you can see that I’m a winger and my strengths are in attack.”

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks