Jaissle upbeat after Newcastle lose 2-1 to Bayer Leverkusen in St James’ Park friendly
Matthias Jaissle remained positive after Newcastle were beaten 2-1 by Bayer Leverkusen in a friendly at St James’ Park on Saturday. The new head coach said there were encouraging signs among individual performances despite the defeat.
A crowd in excess of 39,000 watched a youthful Newcastle side still adjusting to the summer departures of Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães. Eddie Howe’s sudden exit at the very end of July handed the job to Jaissle, who arrived from Jeddah’s Al-Ahli earlier this month.
Leverkusen took the lead inside a minute when Ibrahim Maza manoeuvred the ball onto his left foot in the area and fired past Newcastle’s new goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek. Jaissle cut a restless figure in the technical area, sometimes straying outside its confines, and said: "It’s a big challenge." "It’s a big transition."
Newcastle levelled shortly before half-time when Malick Thiaw headed in from Anthony Elanga’s corner, a moment that prompted prolonged applause from Jaissle. The manager singled out the contribution of the Miley brothers: Lewis returned in central midfield on his first appearance since breaking a leg last spring and 17-year-old academy product Mason Miley shone at right-back, frequently frustrating Leverkusen’s Miguel Gutiérrez.
"Mason’s a young lad with the attitude we need; he has the right heart and the right quality," Jaissle said as he sipped an energy drink intended to replace the body’s lost electrolytes. With Tino Livramento sidelined by calf trouble, Miley Jr is in real contention to start against Liverpool.
Dan Burn remains at the club and will be Newcastle’s captain, with Joelinton as his deputy, but the Brazilian is injured and will miss the Liverpool game; Burn did not feature against Leverkusen as Jaissle split his squad over a weekend that includes another friendly against Strasbourg on Sunday. The match also provided a platform for 18-year-old Sean Steur, one of four players aged 20 or under signed since June, whose neat touches were offset by moments of inexperience.
Leverkusen’s new manager, Carles Martínez, improved his side after introducing Patrick Schick in the second half, and Victor Boniface secured the win with a late rolled finish created when the Nigerian expertly turned Steur. Jaissle remains engaged in figuring out how to unlock Nick Woltemade’s talent amid a clearer need for midfield leadership following the summer exits.
Jaissle faces Premier League opposition next Sunday when Liverpool visit St James’ Park, and Newcastle also host Strasbourg in a friendly on Sunday as part of a split-squad weekend. Meanwhile, Benfica full-back Amar Dedic, who previously worked with Jaissle at RB Salzburg and can also play at left-back, appeared close to finalising a move to Tyneside on Saturday night.