The nine days that will decide Newcastle’s season ...Middle East

Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

VILLA PARK — Putting Alexander Isak in his Newcastle teammates’ shoes was inevitable.

Had Isak been through on goal like Anthony Elanga, it is likely Newcastle would have taken an early lead at Aston Villa.

Had Isak met the cross that came for Anthony Gordon, the header would have probably been on target and likely rippled the net.

And had the Swede stole ahead of Ezri Konsa in the second half it is unlikely the Villa defender would have caught him.

Of course, Isak cannot be two players at once, but had he handled his desire to leave Newcastle differently, he could have at least been on the pitch. No surprise then at the Newcastle fans’ chant that followed this goalless draw.

“One greedy b______, there’s only one greedy b______.”

square FOOTBALL

Alexander Isak vs Newcastle is a game of chicken - there will only be one winner

Supporters’ feelings clear, Isak has just cost Newcastle two points, and regardless of whether it is August or May, that is the driving force of the Premier League. Points are the entire point.

These two sides even finished level on points last season. They are the best of enemies, with shared ambitions and mutual disdain for financial constraints.

It was Newcastle, then Villa, then Newcastle who disrupted the status quo and made the Champions League, with mere goal difference ensuring it was the Toon Army who finished a place above – and thus in Europe’s premier competition – a few months ago.

So who knows how damaging this draw could be? Yes, it is early, and yes they lost this fixture last season – 4-1 in April – but this time around Villa were there for the taking, and Newcastle were left ruing misses that would have been tucked away by their missing striker.

At half-time, Newcastle had recorded eight shots to Villa’s zero. The hosts looked out of sorts, misplacing passes and even bumping into one another, while the visitors looked sharp.

Gordon was leading the line in Isak’s absence but it was Elanga who had the first big chance, bearing down on goal before taking the ball wider and wider until his effort was saved by Emiliano Martinez’s stand-in Marco Bizot.

Anthony Elanga comes close to scoring for Newcastle just two minutes into his debut Watch live on @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/oNAnCbbB0K

Moments later, Harvey Barnes’ cross found Gordon, but Newcastle’s No 10 headed over from just over six yards out – the most blatant of had-it-been-Isak opportunities.

Newcastle’s front three looked in the mood, but as Gordon forced another save from Bizot and Elanga mishit an effort, the shadow of their absent teammate became larger.

In the second half, Villa improved but the flash point came midway through when Gordon was played through on goal and Konsa felt as though he had no choice but to haul the Newcastle forward down.

Ezri Konsa is shown a straight red for pulling down Anthony Gordon on the counter-attack Watch live on @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/xTExF9rwQe

A red card was inevitably shown, and though denied a goalscoring opportunity Gordon saw this as a match-changing moment, with both him and then Elanga gesturing towards the Newcastle fans to make more noise.

Konsa meanwhile could have no complaints, despite somehow protesting with referee Craig Pawson, while Villa’s mission changed to holding on for the draw.

From there, the onus was on Newcastle, but they never found that golden chance.

In the 86th minute, a loose touch from Gordon followed Barnes’ cross, and an opportunity went begging.

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And while it feels harsh to zero in on Gordon’s mistakes given his overall endeavour, the difference in quality when it mattered was plain to see.

It is no surprise. Isak is about as irreplaceable as they come, but now it must be about reconciliation or action.

Newcastle play Liverpool next on Monday 25 August. By then, for Newcastle’s sake, Isak must be on the pitch – either in red or black-and-white.

Nine days it is, then, to resolve a season-defining matter.

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