Matthias Jaissle has revealed why midfield playmaker Sean Steur did not get a chance in the 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa on Saturday night. The Dutch youngster won man of the match in the 2-1 victory over Hull City but has not been seen in a Toon shirt since.
Jaissle also overlooked former Monaco midfield man Aladji Bamba against Villa, with his £35.5m move from Ligue 1 puzzling some supporters due to limited opportunities.
Jaissle's explanation for Steur's absence
When asked about Steur's situation, Jaissle - who experienced boos at St James' Park - said on Saturday evening: "First of all he (Steur) is one of the youngest lads so that is something we mentioned from the start, that it needs time."
"I have also mentioned before that Nico Gonzalez is doing good. He is a leader in our young squad in that position."
"Sometimes it's not just about the player who isn't playing, it's an aspect for the lad who plays instead."
Defending the performance
Despite Jaissle's selection being panned by some sections of fans, the head coach defended the performance against Villa even though his team produced just one shot on target.
Reflecting on the defeat, Jaissle said: "It was a game where we were dominating. Overall I thought I was seeing a team giving a response. We had many situations where you saw that we were going to win that game and then we conceded a goal."
"We also need to be honest. We were shaky until half-time but then after that we showed a good response after half time."
"The second 45 minutes were again really aggressive. We won the important duels. Unfortunately we were just not smart enough in our decision making in the final third so that is something we need to improve."
Efficiency concerns
Jaissle had criticised his own players for not being efficient in both boxes after the 4-1 loss to Coventry City on Monday night. But he suggested that there was an improvement against Unai Emery's side, despite Newcastle only having one effort on target all game - a snap shot from defender Sven Botman, who scored the only goal at Coventry.
"I think the structure and discipline was good but not all the time, and in the Premier League against a strong opponent one occasion is enough to concede a goal and that was too easy - losing a man in the box, we need to put pressure on the cross," Jaissle added.
"Again, we need to be more efficient offensive-wise."
