Newcastle United didn’t play on Thursday night, but it certainly looked like they did.
England kicked off their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with a win, coasting past San Marino 5-0.
It was kind of sad to watch. England vs San Marino is a soulless experience at the best of times. But in an empty stadium it felt even more pointless.
While there were no Newcastle players on either side, members of the Toon Army certainly had a lot to say about the game.
It had nothing to do with Ollie Watkins scoring on his debut. It wasn’t about former target Jesse Lingard returning to Three Lions action.
Newcastle fans were talking about the England game because it felt like watching the Magpies. And sadly it was the away side that looked so familiar.
San Marino played with a 5-4-1 system, merely hoping to frustrate England and keep the score down.
It was very reminiscent of Newcastle’s style against Sheffield United back in January. However, it’s unknown if the San Marino boss was deploying two ‘false 10s’.
The away side showed no intent to get forwards, merely waiting for the inevitable defeat that was coming their way.
But San Marino are the 210th best team in the world. They aren’t expected to get anything against England. For them, it’s probably just a thrill to play against such high quality players.
But for Newcastle, they should be trying to compete. And it’s a sad indictment of the current side that so many fans thought they could have been watching a Steve Bruce team.
England vs San Marino or Newcastle United?
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