martin dubravka – I Love Newcastle

Micah Richards talks up Newcastle United’s poor showing against Norwich City

BBC Sport pundit Micah Richards has said that Newcastle United put up a rather strange performance during the recent Premier League clash against Norwich City at Carrow Road. The Magpies showed an excellent defensive resolve during a slender 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal during the curtain raiser but nothing of that sort was present when they tackled the newly-promoted side.

Teemu Pukki continued his sensational start to the season with his maiden Premier League hat trick and the Magpies may have conceded more goals, barring the efforts of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. Speaking on BBC One, Richards said: “Yea it was strange really. It wasn’t a typical Steve Bruce performance, normally he sets up with a structure where, it’s sort of ‘you shall not pass’, but today as we mentioned before, Norwich could have scored five, six or seven. So he will be very very disappointed with the way the team played, they may take a little bit of confidence from the fact they got a goal and it may be a positive to take into next week, but for a player who has played under Steve Bruce, he’ll be very disappointed.”

Norwich completely dominated the proceedings with nearly two-thirds of the possession and that should be worrying for the Magpies, who are an established Premier League outfit. Jonjo Shelvey provided the sole positive for the Tynesiders with a late injury-time consolation goal but that may not offer them much of a boost for the forthcoming run of fixtures.

The Magpies are scheduled to face Tottenham Hotspur, Watford, and Liverpool in the next three league games. Among those, they are set to face Spurs and the Reds on the road and getting anything out of those matches would be a huge bonus. As such, they may have to rely on the Hornets clash at St James Park to get their season off the mark.

Rafael Benitez blames goalkeeper after Newcastle United drop points against Wolves

Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez has partly placed the blame on goalkeeper Martin Dubravka after the Magpies failed to secure the maximum points against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux. The Tynesiders appeared primed to bag a 1-0 victory heading into injury time before Dubravka’s poor judgement saw Willy Boly pounce with the equaliser with seconds left on the clock.

Shortly after the final whistle, Benitez was fuming at the officials after what he had judged as a foul on his shot-stopper but in his press conference, the Spaniard put more of the blame on Dubravka, who should have punched the ball rather than trying to get hold of it, he told Sky Sports: “Everybody knew we had the three points and it was really disappointing to concede the way we conceded.

“They were pushing, and we could do better. With this kind of ball, you can do a little bit better – just punch the ball and finish. It was not very clear [if it was a foul], watching the replay, but we have to defend better. We know it is England and people will come against the keeper. You have to be strong enough.”

With the stalemate, the Magpies have moved one point clear of the bottom three but things could have been quite different, had Dubravka made a better judgement over the cross leading to Wolves’ leveller. Newcastle now have a free weekend with them already ousted from the FA Cup but thereafter they have a home game against Huddersfield Town where they should fancy their chances of maximum points. The Terriers are currently rock bottom of the standings without any momentum and the Magpies should be aiming to pounce on the opponents’ struggles to jump further away from the relegation places. Rafael Benitez’s side have won their past two home matches including the shock 2-1 triumph over Premier League holders Manchester City.

Newcastle United loanee Kenedy speaks about his long-term future

Newcastle United loanee Kenedy has suggested that he would like to continue his development at parent club Chelsea once his loan agreement expires at the end of the season. Kenedy joined the Magpies on a short-term loan during the second half of the previous campaign and his performances were influential towards them beating the drop.

As such, he earned another temporary stint with the Magpies during the summer, this time on a season-long loan, but so far things have paved differently for him when compared to the previous campaign. Speaking to UOL Sport, Kenedy admitted that he still harbours the ambition of becoming a regular with Chelsea and he hopes to win a major title with the Blues in the future.
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Newcastle United acquire their fifth summer signing

Newcastle United have announced their fifth signing of the summer transfer window with Yoshinori Muto joining them from Mainz. The Japan international had agreed to join the Magpies earlier in the week but an announcement was put on hold until he was assured of a work permit to feature for Rafael Benitez’s side.

Muto told the club’s official website: “As the first Japanese Newcastle United player, I am honoured to be a player for such a big club. I hope to achieve good results – that is what I am here to do. I would like to perform well and leave my name in Newcastle’s history.”Meanwhile, manager Rafael Benitez was also pleased with the signing of Muto, who is expected to add more competition upfront, he added: “I am really pleased to have Yoshinori Muto with us. We were following him for quite a while. Hopefully he can bring us his energy and work-rate and help the team to improve and be better for the new season.”
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Martin Dubravka Open To Permanent Newcastle United Stay

Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has revealed his desire to prolong his stay with Newcastle United beyond the summer. The 29-year-old joined the Magpies on a short-term loan from Sparta Prague in January, and he has since commanded a regular role between the sticks. As a result, there has been talk of him sealed a permanent move to St James Park, and Dubravka shares a similar opinion on the situation.

In a recent interview, Dubravka admitted that his future could depend on the Magpies’ Premier League status next term, he said: “Everything depends mainly on how the team finishes in the top flight or whether we stay in it. In my opinion, it will also affect my future in the club. I will continue to focus on getting as many points as possible and thus avoiding relegation. I think Newcastle will be in the Premier League, and then a permanent transfer will be possible. But as I said, I’m focusing exclusively on my performance at the moment.” Continue reading