Matthias Jaissle began his Newcastle United tenure with a 2-1 Orange Trophy win over Valencia, though the new head coach was in no mood for celebration afterwards. “We will not smash the locker room now and celebrate a lot,” he said. “We still have a lot to work on.”
The contest turned feisty when Anthony Elanga was stretchered off following a bad tackle from Jose Gaya, who was shown a red card. Despite the setback, Jaissle drew encouragement from his squad’s response. “Winning games always helps to gain confidence,” he said. “We also knew that we had a hard week behind us. The players did well and there was a huge commitment to see in each session, so they really deserve two days off and then we start again.”
Jaissle arrives at a club in transition. Former head coach Eddie Howe has departed, while Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have all left within the last year. Against Valencia, goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek, 24, midfielder Aladji Bamba, 20, and forward Toure, 20, all made their debuts, with 18-year-old Steur also catching the eye from the bench.
“Time is the key,” Jaissle said of his young players. “They’re young lads. It’s never going to be easy in football, especially at the highest level, but we’re here to do that.” The former Al-Ahli manager was an animated figure on the touchline throughout, rarely staying within his technical area and at times running in tandem with his players as they advanced on goal.
Newcastle’s rebuild is well underway, with a new generation being asked to step up under a head coach who has already shown what was described as a ruthless streak in the early stages of his time in charge.
Image credit: BBC Sport / BBC Sport
