Matthias Jaissle’s assistant has urged Newcastle United to give them time and patience to get things right at St James Park.
Engin Yanova has insisted that they need time at the club to turn things around after replacing Eddie Howe in the summer.
Jaissle and his team arrived in the summer in a whirlwind of change following the last-minute decision to part ways with Howe.
Things initially started positively as they drew with Liverpool, beat Tottenham and then drew with Bournemouth in their first three games.
But the pressure has grown since then with 4-1 defeats to Leeds and Coventry as well as 1-0 losses to Everton and Aston Villa pushing Newcastle down the table. They currently sit 12th after ten games, just three points outside the relegation zone.
For now, the condensed table means that nobody is genuinely panicking. But questions are being asked about Jaissle and whether he’s the right man.
Yanova is certainly backing his boss. He insists that they need time to get things going properly in the North East.
“For us, the most important thing right now is time; we need time, but the Premier League doesn’t give you any. You have to deliver results every single week,” he said.
“We were aware of the departures, but we joined the team a bit late. We didn’t get to have the kind of pre-season we would have liked. The Premier League began just two weeks after our arrival.
“We’re currently in the process of getting to know the squad, and I believe we are making good progress. The team has become much younger – the average age is quite low – but we view this as an opportunity.
“The players brought in have real quality; we are now working to develop them within a solid framework and a clear strategy.”
Leadership
The growing concern is that this current Newcastle side lacks leadership. They lost big in that department in the sales of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes in the summer.
The club’s leadership very much decided to focus on youth moving forwards, pivoting their plans from the established talent that brought success in recent years. That obvious comes with risks, which Yanova wants acknowledged.
“We do have experienced players, such as Dan Burn and Fabian Schar, as well as an experienced centre-forward,” he added.
There are two types of leaders: those who lead through their performance and those who lead through their character. Take Lewis Hall, for example.
“He has just received another call-up to his national team. Despite his young age, he takes on responsibility, and his performances are truly encouraging. He will certainly play an even more prominent role in the future.”
What Yanova expanded on
Yanova was then asked what potential transfers he’d like to see in future, particularly in terms of Turkish players.
He has a number of players in mind, currently playing at different ends of the European scale.
“Kenan Yıldız is perhaps one of the closest to the Premier League right now,” he concluded.
“With his pace, physical strength, and the football education he has received, he is very well-suited for England. I’ve been following him since his time at Bayern Munich; he was 13 when I first met him. I am proud of his development.
“Arda Güler is currently playing for the best club in the world, Real Madrid- that’s a choice in itself. He could play in England if he wanted to. His profile as a creative player is something rarely seen anywhere in the world.
“Then there’s Ferdi – a source of pride for us – who is doing a great job at Brighton. Ozan Kabak also had a stint at Liverpool. Perhaps he was too young back then, but given his current performance at Hoffenheim, I believe he could play in the Premier League again.
“And, having known him for three years, I can say that Merih Demiral could play for any team. With his warrior spirit and mentality, he would be an asset to any side.”
