Another international break sigh. A good showing by Ki, some(very) slight improvements from Son and Koo have me optimistic about the return but I’m an optimist in general so...
Ji Dong Won -- Still out though he has returned to partial training. Hopefully means he will be good to go over international break.
Koo Ja Cheol -- Started and played primarily as a CM though he did push up at times into the attacking line. He had two great chances to score and several chances to setup others but came up lacking. That’s said, Koo managed his defensive shortcomings ok and was otherwise pretty good so even though the net was not great, at least a positive direction for him.
Ki Sung Yueng -- Ki started and made the mist of his opportunity with some great passing, particularly a beautiful crossfield switch that opened things up for a goal. Despite generally good effort (by Ki standards) on defensive end, Ki was at fault for the one goal let in, as he lagged behind his mark who got a lucky header in. But otherwise he had a very good game and now Newcastle has won two in a row. How Rafa handles this on Shelveys return will be interesting. Ki has provided some good patience and control and doesn’t give up the ball cheaply with risky passes which may be what Newcastle needs but Shelvey certainly has Rafa’s trust.
Son Heung Min -- Came on at 72. Was gonna come on earlier but Tottenham scores so Poch waited for momentum to sag before putting him on. There wasn’t much to do on a wet pitch and he started off poorly giving the ball up cheaply again over dribbling. He did get a great chance with a good run and a move to beat the first defender but was stopped just before shooting by a heroic tackle. He also chipped in with some nice dribbling in the corner to waste some more time. He’s got a few weeks rest now so hopefully he’s sharper on the return.
Suk Hyun Jun -- Came on as a 82nd minute sub.
