Yoane Wissa has insisted he is ready to continue in the number 10 role for Newcastle United after his standout performance in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday. The forward picked up the player of the match award and provided an assist for United's second goal, thriving in a role behind Will Osula before moving into the number nine position once the Denmark international was substituted in the second half.
It was arguably his best display in a Newcastle shirt since his £55million move from Brentford last year, and the DR Congo international is keen to keep playing in behind Osula this season. "Yes," Wissa replied when asked if the number 10 role is one he wants to continue in this season. "That's the role that the manager gave me. He knows that I can play everywhere up front and he gave me the role of being a number 10 and at the end also a striker, so he knows that I can score, even though I missed a good opportunity today."
Wissa embraces leadership role
Wissa has also stepped up into a leadership role on the training ground this summer, and he believes his performance on Sunday shows he has embraced that responsibility. "I am one of the leaders," Wissa added. "The manager spoke with me, he trusts me and so that's why I need to lead the team now, so that's why I embrace this role because it gives me a lot of freedom."
Wissa was one of the elder statesmen in the youngest Newcastle side named for 21 years, but he insists the dressing room is excited by the youngsters who have arrived this summer. "We are ready, we are all ready," he said. "We need to trust the club, we need to trust the players who are here. Now you see that everyone is ready – Joe Willock came on and scored, Sean's first game, he had an amazing game, Miley came back after a three or four-month injury and is ready play – so you need to trust us."
Confidence from Liverpool draw
Wissa also expressed pride in the players who stepped up on Sunday, noting the external talk surrounding the team. "Today I'm very proud of the players who stepped up today because there's has been a lot of talk. Now we are all ready to play this season," he said.
Reflecting on the draw, Wissa said the result gives the squad confidence. "It gives us a lot of confidence and now we have shown that we are ready, ready to fight for anything. The main focus will be hopefully not not lose many games to be ready for this Premier League because it's going to be a difficult season. But we are all ready for that."
He also credited head coach Matthias Jaissle for the team's understanding of his methods. "It's been a lot of work for him. We had a lot of meetings to understand how he wants us to play and today we showed that we all understand the way he thinks football. It was unlucky that we drew at the end, but I want to do it for him."
