103 touches, 87% passing: 9/10 Newcastle star is now as undroppable as Isak
da brdice： Newcastle United have now won their last six matches in all competitions, with last night’s home success over a shaken Crystal Palace side very much the pick of the bunch.
da realsbet： The rampant Magpies would show no mercy in the 5-0 demolition job that was handed out to the hapless Eagles, with four different goalscorers all getting in on the act during a glorious night on Tyneside, alongside Marc Guehi also awkwardly scoring an own goal.
Alexander Isak would, of course, add to his ever-growing Premier League tally during the comprehensive victory, with the Swede now up to a bountiful 25 league strikes and counting.
Isak's performance in numbers
However, despite Isak being on such a healthy amount, Newcastle very rarely rely on just their 25-year-old striker to get them out of sticky situations, with the big win versus Palace very much won on a team basis.
Still, it doesn’t exactly hurt stand-in manager Jason Tindall to have such an explosive marksman leading the line, with the potent number 14 gifting the Magpies their final strike of the memorable night.
Isak would have been arguably frustrated that he didn’t find the back of the net more times than this late effort, with the former Real Sociedad attacker squandering three big chances in the game away from actually managing to get the better of a ropey Dean Henderson.
But, even when the 6 foot 4 forward is having somewhat of an off-day like he did in patches versus Palace, he still manages to contribute to Newcastle’s ongoing successes in some capacity, with his position as the Magpies’ main threat up top as concrete as it can possibly be, consequently.
Away from the frightening attacking arsenal Newcastle can boast, the Tyneside high-flyers also have defenders that they can put all their faith into when it matters, with this top defensive performer managing to cement his first team spot as even more undroppable up against Oliver Glasner’s visitors.
The 9/10 ace now as undroppable as Isak
Despite the final scoreline emphatically reading 5-0 in Newcastle’s favour, Palace did have their chances in the game to try and claw back some dignity, having ended the chaotic 90 minutes with 2.00 xG accumulated.
Unfortunately for the visitors from London, no goals would find the back of Nick Pope’s net, with Newcastle having the likes of Fabian Schar to thank at both ends of the pitch for the shut-out, but also the seriously impressive attacking display.
Schar’s performance in numbers
Stat
Schar
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
1
Assists
0
Touches
103
Accurate passes
75/86 (87%)
Key passes
2
Shots
3
Clearances
6
Interceptions
2
Tackles
1
Total duels won
5/10
Stats by Sofascore
Indeed, looking at the table above, it’s clear how well-rounded Schar’s performance was against Palace, with his goal an expertly headed home effort deep into first half-stoppage time after a perfect Jacob Murphy delivery, among other standout statistics.
The 33-year-old would further amass a staggering 103 touches of the ball and record an 87% pass accuracy as a calm and composed performer at the back, but the veteran centre-back would also roll his sleeves up and battle competently when faced with the brute force of Eagles attacker Jean-Philippe Mateta, with his five duels won on the night leading to Mateta registering just 15 total touches from a forgettable 56-minute spell.
Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder would hand out a high 9/10 rating to Schar post-match off the back of his excellent evening, with Ryder even heralding the Swiss star as ‘unflappable’ and a ‘vintage wine getting better and better’
With his centre-back partner in Dan Burn also on the ageing side at 32 years old, it appears Tindall and Co have the perfect mix throughout the squad at this point in time, with the more exuberant characters of Isak coupling up well with the more seasoned heads of the group.
If the Toon can keep up this blistering run of wins, another Champions League finish is surely on the cards, with faces such as Schar and Isak notably sticking out.
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