Matthias Jaissle makes honest Newcastle United admission after Crystal Palace result
Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle has spoken to the media after the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Matthias Jaissle has admitted Newcastle United were not up to scratch in the first half.
However, a vast improvement after the break helped the Magpies put Crystal Palace to the sword at Selhurst Park. Will Osula and Harvey Barnes produced the goods to get Newcastle United back on track in the Premier League.
On the difference between Newcastle’s first and second-half performances, Jaissle said: “It was a tough game, especially in the first half. We couldn't get ourselves the reward for the intensity we put in out of possession after the ball wins.
“In the second half, it was much better. We were more target-orientated, we threatened the opposition more and, therefore, I think when it comes to the second half and that improvement. In the end, also that willingness to defend and to have that clean sheet. It was a deserved win.”
A clinical second-half double helped lift the Magpies to seventh in the table. Jaissle’s bold pre-match call saw Yoane Wissa dropped for Osula, who started the season as the first-choice striker.
The move paid off as the Dane’s cute finish fired Newcastle in front. On Osula, Jaissle hailed the striker while preferring to focus on the team as a whole.
“A striker's job, right?” Jaissle said about Osula. “He did an amazing job. We're happy that he's getting back on track. He was out for a long time. So now physically, he's improving - and he's a player with huge potential.
“The players around him - it was a team effort. Everybody dug in. That's obviously the ethic that you're trying to get this team to produce, because when you're all together, great things can happen.
“For sure, we need to identify ourselves as a unit, as a team who also overcomes setbacks and that's what we did today. It's not done by an individual player. You need the teammates, you need the staff, the coaches, the fans, and if we interact with that mindset, that we are a unit all together, then this journey will be successful.”