SAKA, ANTONY AND 10 PREMIER LEAGUE STARS HEADING TO THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP
When Wilfried Zaha was forced off against Newcastle last night, we and, presumably, many others were crying out to see Jean-Philippe Mateta or Christian Benteke.
At that point, the Eagles were launching hopeless long balls up to the Ivorian and Michy Batshuayi, so a target man was needed.
So, when Roy Hodgson chose to bring on Andros Townsend in the 58th minute, a few eyebrows around south London might’ve been raised.
However, it was actually a great decision. Why?
Well, just five minutes later, Steve Bruce made his own switch when bringing Allan Saint-Maximin onto the field, so Townsend’s presence ahead of Clyne suddenly became extremely necessary.
Of course, Hodgson cannot predict the future, but he was surely expecting the 23-year-old to enter the fray at some point.
Just like our very own Zaha, the Frenchman can terrorise defenders when one-on-one, so immediately, we feared for Nathaniel Clyne – as solid as he has been.
Newcastle’s No.10 was, unsurprisingly, tricky. WhoScored shows he completed three dribbles in just 27 minutes, which was the third-most of any player on the pitch.
However, he never truly threatened Vicente Guaita’s goal, thanks to Townsend doubling up on him with Clyne down that flank.
The ex-Magpies forward won two tackles, and also won two freekicks, when up against the flamboyant trickster as WhoScored shows.
We’ll never know how Clyne would’ve fared alone against Saint-Maximin.
However, there’s no denying that he will have been grateful for Townsend’s efforts back in that away dressing room after full-time.
It was a move that helped the south Londoners see out the victory, and Hodgson deserves credit for ensuring Clyne was not left isolated.
