Amid the disappointment of the 2-2 draw against Chelsea on Saturday, Anthony Elanga has once again taken a lot of criticism from the fans.
Newcastle United blew a two-goal lead at home to Chelsea this weekend, leaving fans fuming at their team for throwing away valuable points once again.
Who was Newcastle United’s MOTM against Chelsea?!
Strange to say there are a few choices given the result!
Aaron Ramsdale may have been to blame for the goals, to some degree. Eddie Howe’s setup and the mentality among the team must also be questioned.
But, one key moment involving Anthony Elanga has left supporters more than a little annoyed, and they’ve come up with two reasons for the winger’s struggles.
- READ MORE: Newcastle United player ratings vs Chelsea as chaos continues to let electric Anthony Gordon down
Selfish or low on confidence: Anthony Elanga issue causes debate
The game could have been won by Newcastle late on as Elanga raced through on goal only to send his shot wide rather than playing in his teammates who were in acres of space on the other side of the box.
Some fans on Reddit suggested this was down to selfishness from Elanga, while others pushed back and insisted it’s all because he’s so low on confidence.
One said: “I cannot be the only one absolutely infuriated by this man right now… has two options that ARE NOT being marked and have a clear easy shot on target. Yet Anthony Elanga, with his huge ego, takes it on himself. I have never been so upset with the selfish personality of a Newcastle United footballer like I am right now.”
Others added, “That no pass was criminal,” and “I felt the same. The pass was on.”
However, most of the fans seem to think Elanga is just desperate to do something special; something that can win the supporters over after his poor start at the club.
One replied, “It’s not ego, he is playing with absolutely no confidence. Something that shouldn’t be figured out on the pitch but rather during training,” while another added, “I’d put this down to lack of confidence in decision making rather than pure selfishness.”
A third said: “The selfishness comes from a place of wanting to prove himself. He hasn’t had that game yet so makes desperate decisions but he played a little better than he usually does.”
Whatever the issue is, it needs resolving as soon as possible.
How much is this version of Anthony Gordon worth in the transfer market? Some player when he’s at his best 😍
Anthony Elanga was destined to fail at Newcastle
The fact of the matter is, Anthony Elanga just doesn’t fit Newcastle and the preferred style of play pushed by Eddie Howe.
He’s a fast winger who loves playing quick counter-attacking football, and that’s just not something Newcastle really do.
Hopefully, he can come good in time. But there’s no denying Newcastle’s recruitment failed miserably when identifying Elanga as a target. The fact they paid £55m for a player who is just wrong for the team is heinous.
All we can do is get behind him and have some patience, and hope that it all works out. Elanga just needs a goal and then things could and should start to improve.
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