Newcastle United secured their first win in over a month with a victory at Crystal Palace, and head coach Matthias Jaissle has explained the decision to drop Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman. The win lifted the Magpies to 11 points and sparked a dressing room celebration at Selhurst Park.
Jaissle's Selection Calls Pay Off
Jaissle made bold changes to his starting line-up, benching Thiaw, who began the season as captain, and Botman. The duo were replaced by the experienced pairing of Dan Burn and Fabian Schar, who delivered strong performances in the match.
Speaking after the game, Jaissle praised the dropped players for their professionalism during the week. "For me it's also important to mention that Sven and Malick did a good job in the last week," he said.
Experience and Leadership Key
Jaissle explained that the decision was based on the need for experience and leadership to stabilise a young group that had been affected by recent defeats. "Today we went for more experience, for leadership skills in particular, to give stability for a young group and a group that was shaking a bit with the defeats. We're really glad that it worked out," he added.
The head coach noted that Schar and Burn's ability to coach and communicate on the pitch was a natural advantage of their age, joking that the only downside was the increased average age of the starting XI.
Team Unity and Looking Ahead
Jaissle emphasised the importance of unity in overcoming setbacks. "We need to identify ourselves as a unit and a team who can overcome setbacks and that's what we did today. It's not done by an individual player. You need team-mates and staff and coaches and fans. If we go with that mindset, that we're a unit and if we are all together then this journey will be successful," he said.
The victory puts Newcastle in good shape for their upcoming Carabao Cup clash with Everton, with Jaissle's approach showing he can work effectively with both inherited players and his own signings.
