Former England striker Dean Ashton urged Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle to rethink his tactical approach following a forgettable first half between Newcastle and Everton in Monday’s Premier League clash at St James’ Park, which drew boos from home fans at the interval.
Attacking Struggles and Tactical Criticism
Neither goalkeeper faced serious testing before the break, prompting Ashton to heavily criticize Newcastle’s forward line during a broadcast on TalkSport, as reported by 101 Great Goals. Ashton argued that William Osula and Joe Willock made life easy for visiting centre-backs Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski, describing their play as looking awful and lacking confidence.
Ashton singled out the restored Anthony Elanga as awful, noted that Osula failed to impact the game, and stated that Willock struggled to retain possession. He added that Harvey Barnes was the sole bright spot showing quality and confidence, while observing that teammate Nico Gonzalez gestured with his hands in frustration, wanting his side to play more football rather than hit high long balls.
Team Lineups and Match Context
Newcastle made two changes following their EFL Cup exit to Everton four days prior, introducing winger Elanga and midfielder Joelinton into the starting lineup in place of Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy. Everton welcomed back defender Branthwaite after a two-game absence due to concussion, though on-loan Manchester City playmaker Jack Grealish remained out of the squad following a disciplinary breach and a lack of match fitness.
Victory for either side in the final fixture of Matchweek 10 offered a climb into seventh place in the Premier League standings. Match action broadcast live in the UK via Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, and Sky Sports Ultra.
Entering the match, statistics highlighted that Everton won their last two away league visits to Newcastle and aimed for a third consecutive victory at St James’ Park for the first time in their history. Meanwhile, Newcastle sought to reverse a poor Monday night record, having lost 21 of their previous 32 Premier League matches played on Mondays.
