Newcastle unearth themselves an absolute gem
We all expected more from the January transfer window, that much is clear. Rafa wasn`t backed as we all hoped that he would be, and we`re likely to be in a relegation battle as a result. There`s no getting away from that fact, despite beating Man United last week.
However, we did learn a few things from that game. Rafa, as we know, is still a tactical genius when he wants to be, and the game also proved that each and every player is still fighting for the shirt. However, perhaps the biggest takeaway from the game came in the form of the man that was between the sticks – Martin Dubravka.
I think we can all agree that we weren`t too excited when he signed for the club, and most of us hadn`t heard his name before, but it`s fair to say that we won`t be forgetting it anytime soon.
The performance from the boys on Sunday was great to see, but nobody deserves recognition more than our keeper. It`s never easy to make your debut, particularly at the fortress that is St James` Park, but he performed fantastically. The Red Devils` attack is up there with the most potent in the Premier League, and whilst our defenders deserve some credit – he ultimately kept us in the game on more than one occasion.
I counted three match-winning saves from the Slovakian, whilst you can`t put a value on the way that he commanded his defence and grew into the game. He looked like a natural between the goal posts, and deserves all the credit that came his way.
It`s tough not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but judging from the immediate impact that he made, I feel confident in saying that we could have a star on our hands. His performance was eerily reminiscent of Tim Krul back in his heyday, and whilst the Dutchman has fallen off over the last few years, our new keeper has seemingly only gotten better as he has got older.
It`s amazing the impact that one or two additions can have on a team, and we`re certainly seeing the influence of that here. It`s early days, but the 29-year-old looks like the real deal – in my eyes anyway!
What do you think? Are we jumping the gun, or was his performance really that good? Let us know below?
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