Newcastle United dug deep to secure an excellent 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup last night, and one player particularly stood out.
Tino Livramento made his first start for the club, and was the player of the match by some distance, as the right-back completely nullified Man City attacker Jack Grealish.
The 20-year-old is the second choice in his position behind Kieran Trippier, but his performance against Man City showed that he should be trusted on the biggest occasions.
How did Livramento play against Manchester City?
The right-back was sensational defensively, winning a remarkable 11 of his 19 attempted ground duels, making eight tackles including a last-man block, and completed 93% of his passes as per SofaScore.
His performance was described as “incredible” by his teammate Alexander Isak, and has drawn praise from Eddie Howe, who called his display “phenomenal.”
As full debuts go, it was one of the best from a Newcastle signing in some time, and he has instantly endeared himself to the Geordie faithful.
Livramento should start against PSG
Newcastle face another tough test next week as Paris Saint-Germain prepare to visit St James’ Park in the Champions League, with Kylian Mbappe set to start on the left wing.
Livramento’s performance against City showed that he is already capable of coming up against the world’s best teams and his defensive display highlights how he can be a secret weapon for Howe to deal with Mbappe.
Trippier can move over to the left, a position in which he recently appeared for England, allowing Livramento to use his strength in the tackle and duels to attempt to shut Mbappe out.
The World Cup winner’s frightening pace can cause most fullbacks problems, and Trippier may run the risk of getting caught out despite his strengths on the ball. Livramento may be a wildcard Howe can unexpectedly throw in to catch PSG off guard and adapt to their game.
Leave a Reply