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Former England midfielder joe cole It is claimed that newcastle unitedpossession of nick voltmade And Yoane Vissa has got them into a “better position” than last season alexander isaac,
An encouraging performance was seen in St. James Park Magpies beat Benfica 3-0 In Champions League league stage on Tuesday night, with eddie howeThe team benefited from improved team depth as substitute Harvey Barnes scored two to wrap up a potentially decisive result.
And Cole pointed to the depth of that squad when speaking on TNT Sports after the final whistle, suggesting Newcastle could now be “in a better position than they were with Isak”, especially with Yoane Wiesa returning from injury.
“To compete on more fronts you need players who can come in. You look at the numbers they have and I think they are in a better position,” the former Chelsea player said.
“I think this team is playing on the front foot with all their attacking options, Anthony Gordon, [Harvey] barnes, [Jacob] Murphy, [Anthony] Elanga, the midfielder can score goals, you have Voltameda, Wisa to come into this team. Staying where they are, playing on the front foot, watching the game and brushing up benfica On one hand, the ending was very impressive.”
Germany striker Woltemade played a key role in the third goal and provided the platform for Gordon’s assist with a superb flick and the 23-year-old has been in fine form since arriving at St James’ Park in the summer, scoring five goals in eight games.
And while Wisa has yet to appear for his new club since joining in a £55million deal at the end of the summer transfer window due to injury, Cole believes the depth in the squad means the Magpies are “only going to get better”.
“It’s a really impressive performance,” he explained. “The Benfica team went to Stamford Bridge and almost got the result but Newcastle blew them out of the water.
“Eddie Howe will be delighted because all his changes worked, his teammates worked, they sit in the top eight of the Champions League with two wins from three and it’s all looking up.
Cole also praised goalscorer Anthony Gordon, saying he “loves” the England winger.
“I’ve admired the kid since he was at Everton,” Cole said. “I love his tenacity. Forget about his ability and the players, I look at him and think ‘I want you on my team.’ [He’s] A blow for England.”
Newcastle’s win moves them up to seventh in the league stage table with six points from the opening three games, with their next match coming against Athletic Bilbao at St James’ Park on Wednesday 5 November.