Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle has insisted that intensity will still be the club's identity as he begins a new era at St James' Park. Home fans will get a first glimpse of his style on Saturday when Newcastle face Bayer Leverkusen (3pm kick-off), with Jaissle preparing to experience the Gallowgate End for the first time.
Jaissle admitted that Newcastle are not yet up to full speed in their pressing, but he is building a team that will chase everything – an approach the Geordie public is expected to approve of. The Magpies have not been able to sustain that intensity throughout friendly matches against Valencia and Everton, despite a good opening period at Murrayfield and an excellent second half at the Mestalla.
Pre-season progress and transfer hints
Speaking about his plans, Jaissle said: "Obviously, you would love to play over 90 minutes with intensity - that belongs to Newcastle. At this stage of the pre-season, it's not possible, I have only been here a few days, but there are two friendly games to go in which the players will get the right load (of work) in time for the Liverpool match."
Newcastle have been working on a deal for Amar Dedic with Benfica, with a fee of around £30m being discussed for the right-back. Jaissle admitted he would ideally have a right-back and a midfielder through the door by now so they could hit the ground running against Liverpool at St James' Park a week on Sunday.
Jaissle said: "It would be the best scenario if they’re working straight away from the first day, but that is not common in football. If you make signings, new signings at the end of the transfer window, then they usually need time (to adapt to the Premier League), so that’s all things we have to consider. We are all still positive though and we want to go in the right direction. I mentioned in the press conference (on Tuesday) that we have our goals. There will be many stones thrown in our path along the way, and we need to get rid of them."
Upcoming fixtures and fan anticipation
Newcastle will now face a Leverkusen side that lost 2-1 away to Nottingham Forest in midweek, with the Bundesliga team remaining in the East Midlands to prepare for their trip to St James' Park. The 2024 German champions have welcomed back Argentina international Facundo Medina and England star Jarrell Quansah to training in recent days.
Tickets for the clash at St James' Park are now on public sale, with Newcastle also facing Strasbourg on Sunday afternoon to conclude their pre-season programme. Speaking about facing the fans for the first time, Jaissle said: "I can't wait to see it full of our home crowd. That's already a good set-up, the two friendly matches on the weekend."
