‘Just 18 touches’ - Lee Ryder slams £19.8m-rated Newcastle ace who ‘struggled’

Newcastle United’s run of six straight home wins was ended at the hands of Jurgen Klopp’s quadruple chasing Liverpool at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon.

It was a solid performance from the hosts who restricted the Premier League’s leading scorers to just one goal, with the scorer an unlikely source. Naby Keita found the back of the net in the first half, rounding Martin Dubravka and two defenders in one turn before emphatically finishing.

Although restricting the Reds to just a one-goal win is an improvement from where Newcastle were before Eddie Howe came in, there is still plenty of room for criticism for individuals.

Lee Ryder’s match ratings saw the journalist slam Joe Willock, rating him 5/10, justifying his decision with: “Struggled in the first half. Better after the break but not close to the levels we know he’s capable of. Just 18 touches against a stellar Liverpool midfield.”

It was a disappointing day in the middle of the pitch for Willock who had lost the ball seven times and failing to register a single shot throughout the game, according to SofaScore.

TIF Thoughts on Yder’s comments…

The £19.8m valued man has been underwhelming all campaign for the Magpies. In his 29 Premier League outings, he has only scored twice and not laid on any assists for his teammates, he’ll need to improve his output if he is to remain in the long term plans of Howe.

This is a stark contrast to the eight goals he scored for the Toon whilst on loan from Arsenal with seven of those goals coming in consecutive league appearances (via Transfermarkt).

And with the summer window coming up, could this type of form put his long term future in Howe’s plans under threat with the likes of Joelinton flourishing?

In other news, Fabian