“It will be good to have Aleksandar Mitrović back. We’ve missed him. He can be our focal point and we need that.”
Steve McClaren
At 15.50pm on the 5th of February, 2011, Newcastle United were 4-0 down at half-time at home against Arsenal. By full-time, the greatest ever Premier League comeback had been enacted on the St. James’ Park stage, inspired by ‘bad boy’ Joey Barton. Newcastle need to do the season-equivalent of that Arsenal 4-4 comeback after a slow start and returning striker, the man painted as a pantomime villain Aleksandar Mitrović, is the man to kick-start the revival.
Much has been made of Mitrović’s reputation and red card against Arsenal. However, another Newcastle-related striker, Kevin Keegan, was once sent off in a pre-season friendly for Hamburg for knocking out an opponent and bounced back spectacularly. Keegan went onto to win two consecutive World Player of the Year awards in 1978 and 1979 and Mitrović, regularly named among the Top 20 young talents in football, can emulate the man who went onto become a Geordie legend as player and manager.
Larger than life both in character and physical size, the 6ft 3in Mitrovic will not be bullied by any Premier League defenders; in fact, he will be doing the bullying – within the rules of course. Shoulder-charges are still permitted in football and, naturally, the strength of the Serbian is a real asset as England captain Wayne Rooney found out having the ball taken off him “like candy from a baby” at Old Trafford and displays of power must be permitted, unlike against Arsenal, when they were punished prior to his red.
Mitrovic’s battling performance leading the line away at Old Trafford was superb. He won twelve duels, including three in the air, and his eight recoveries showed a will to win and ability to impact games at the highest Premier League level. A header which crashed off the bar from Chancel Mbemba’s cross would have made it the perfect away performance and Mitrovic hangs in the air like Andy Carroll and offers a similar aerial threat. The goals and wins will surely follow.
Fearless, Aleksandar the Great is at best against the best and can strike fear into the hearts, minds and bodies of the opposition and most importantly goals into their nets having last scored against France. In last season’s Champions League, he silenced 65,000 fans in the Signal Iduna Park with a late headed equaliser against Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund to secure a point having won a penalty and notched another goal to drag Anderlecht back to 3-3 at the Emirates coming off the bench.
Mitrovic is the man for the big occasion, and no doubt Jose Mourinho will worry how his shattered Champions defence will cope with the most dangerous man in the Premier League at a ground he has never won at. The possibility of World War 3 starting from a football pitch when Mitrovic clashed with Diego Costa has been averted with the Brazilian-Spaniard’s ban which leaves ‘MitroGoal’ as the lone wolf on display and he can dictate matters.
Jose Mourinho has been shaken badly this season – stating even the tactics computer went wrong pre-Everton while Steve McClaren may well point out bugs in the computer at Premier League fixture HQ which pitted his Magpies against 6 of last season’s top 8 in the first 8 games – and Newcastle backed by 50,000 vocal fans must capitalise on that existing vulnerability in the Blues camp with Mitrovic leading the charge.
It’s what happens behind Mitrovic that holds the key to victory.
Siem De Jong has to play in the no. 10 role, he can feed the striker with his intelligent passes linking midfield and attack while offering a twin aerial threat at set pieces. Runners with pace ahead and to the side of him in the shape of wingers or wide forwards – take your pick from Gabriel Obertan’s raw speed to the trickery of Ayoze Perez, the penetration of Rolando Aarons or the ability and delivery of Florian Thauvin – will give Newcastle a credible threat.
The Dutch international needs an uninterrupted string of games to gain match fitness and will thrive with Mitrovic to slot the passes into and ghost in behind at set pieces and open play to inflict maximum damage. His intelligence can be seen from his off-pitch comments and he will soon impact massively on it:
“Everyone believes we can do it,” said de Jong. “It’s just a matter of putting the pieces together.
“At one point it’s going to fit and we’re going to get the results. It’s always difficult at the beginning of the season with a new manager and new players.”
De Jong scored three in two games against Man City in the Champions League for Ajax in 2012/3 including a brace at The Etihad against Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and co. and is a big game player. These are the most testing times for the early leaders who were well-beaten at home off both Juventus and West Ham and Newcastle can make it a hat-trick like they did last year.
Its time for Newcastle United to punch their true heavyweight in the 2015/6 season having been the only team last season to beat both Manchester City and Chelsea. Their 12th man the fans could prove vital and while a lack of fight and firepower was Newcastle’s downfall on Wednesday, an early ‘MitroGoal’ will send shockwaves through Chelsea, put the pressure back on Jose and get St James’ Park rocking again.
