2. Aleksandar Mitrovic & Chancel Mbemba Are Already Capable Of Playing At The Very Highest Level
Aleksandar Mitrovic's first two outings in a Newcastle United shirt certainly left more questions than they did answers. The striker received more cards than he had shots as he looked to be as petulant as many had reported him to be. However, all of those doubters (including myself) were silenced as he looked every bit as bullish and good on the ball as a Diego Costa... Am I going too far there? Mitro was very good against what has to be one of the better sides in the Barclays Premier League which could prove that my praise isn't displaced. Even though he was up there on his own, he held the ball up and even made a mockery of a number of Man Utd players - taking three of them on at once with consummate ease. The Serbian was also very unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet as his amazing header from fully 16 yards crashed against the bar. On top of all of that, it was his work rate that was most impressive. The forward must have ran close to two marathons during an 80 minute display and even found himself covering as full back on more than one occasion. It was brilliant to see and proved that he isn't cut from the same cloth as Mario Balotelli - someone he has been heavily compared to - and other primadona footballers. Chancel Mbemba on the other hand started off like he'd never played right back before in his life. Memphis Depay skipped past him with ease far too many times in a short space of time as it looked like being one of those days for the former Anderlecht man. However, he soon settled and proceeded to place Memphis, and the likes of Wayne Rooney for that matter, in his back pocket. His defensive work isn't all that shone though, as one ridiculous pass with the outside of his foot down the wing was utterly sublime. And wouldn't have looked out of place in the Zinedine Zidane handbook of football... These are two players that Newcastle need to be building their future round, rather than selling on at a profit in a couple of years time. If they do, the good times certainly will come to St James' Park.
