Newcastle United were far from perfect against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The Magpies were let off the hook by some poor Tottenham finishing, with Ange Postecoglou admitting that Spurs’ performance did not match the result.
In contrast, Newcastle United were clinical. Eddie Howe set Newcastle up to play on the counter, and it worked. Alexander Isak grabbed the winner, as the Magpies continue their unbeaten start to the new season.
However, that does not tell the whole story. Newcastle won without playing well against Spurs, while they have struggled to consistently play well in any of their opening four games in league and cup.
Nick Pope bailed Newcastle out at times against Tottenham
While Eddie Howe’s side are not at their best yet, they have been boosted by the return of Nick Pope.
He is fully fit after last season’s injury woes, and made some key saves during the 2-1 win over Tottenham.
Postecoglou said Pope was ‘outstanding’ on Sunday, and he is now away on international duty, having earned a recall to the England squad after a lengthy absence. It is the first time he has been selected since the 2022 World Cup.
Darren Bent criticises Nick Pope
However, while Pope made plenty of saves during the win over Tottenham, Darren Bent was unconvinced by the 32-year-old.
The former England striker appeared on TalkSPORT on Monday (4:53pm) and criticised Pope for his performances, questioning his decision to continuously parry shots away rather than ‘just hold it’.
“Nick Pope, by the way, his performance, some of his saves, Nick Pope… bad,” he said.
“(For the Tottenham goal) Just hold onto it. Don’t push it out for a corner. Just hold it. It’s not travelling.
“Whatever happened to keepers just holding it.
“There was a time before that when he nearly cost them when he made some silly save instead of just holding it. They said it on commentary, just hold the ball.”
Newcastle are much better with Pope
Pope certainly did not have a bad game on Sunday.
However, for the Tottenham goal, Bent is right. Pope should have done much better. His decision to spill the initial shot away from goal was what allowed Spurs to equalise. And there were other instances where he punched shots away rather than taking full control of the ball.
However, the level of criticism does seem slightly harsh. He is a shot-stopper who is building up his confidence after a lengthy injury, while Pope is a player who makes Newcastle United better.
Fans will be much more confident with him in between the sticks than Martin Dubravka, who was nowhere near good enough for the Magpies last season.
The main area that Pope needs to improve in is his distribution, as his kicking has been noticeably wayward since the new season kicked off.
But Pope will win Newcastle more points than he loses them, and it is great to have him back from injury.
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