Newcastle Vs. Burnley Instant Reaction: 3 Things to Take Away

After Newcastle’s 1-0 loss to Burnley, three things stood out to me.

• Newcastle is lacking without the presence of Mikel Merino

Although I believe that Shelvey was probably our best playmaker on the field today, the absence of Mikel Merino was evident. Diame really did not play his best match, but it was a real battle in the midfield.

• We need help at the Striker position

Joselu was non-existent to me. Blame it on poor deliveries or lack of chances or whatever else you like, it seemed though that Joselu just isn’t the answer up front. He had one good chance that comes to mind but put the ball wide. Dwight Gayle also made an appearance and evidently contributed to nothing. The striker position needs to be very high on Rafa Benitez’s priority list in January.

• Yedlin is FAST

Deandre Yedlin has to be one of the fastest backs in the Premier League. In the first half he had no problem running up and down the wing, creating chances. His crosses left a lot to be desired though as most of them were easily cleared or handled by the goalkeeper. The second half seemed to go differently as Burnley kept him at bay.

This was a humbling game as Newcastle has been all over headlines in the Premier League with the pending sale of the club. Hopefully Benitez has an answer. What do you guys think?