Asmir Begovic could be destined for greater things, says Sky Sports man
Monday 29 September 2014 06:43, UK
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher will be right here each week to cast his expert eye over the forthcoming Premier League games.
The Liverpool legend will have his say on the teams, players, managers and stories surrounding Sky’s live weekend fixtures – and in this column he looks ahead to the Monday Night Football clash between Stoke and Newcastle.
So read on for his thoughts on why Stoke's Bojan and Victor Moses must step up, where Asmir Begovic could be headed, and why Papiss Cisse and some local Geordie lads can boost Newcastle's fortunes...
With Bojan and Victor Moses now at Stoke, are they a completely different team to the one that played under Tony Pulis?
CARRA SAYS: I don’t think they are completely different but Mark Hughes is trying to build on what was done previously, with Bojan, in particular, not the sort player that came in under Pulis. However, Pulis did a great job there in developing Stoke as a Premier League team, giving Hughes the licence to put his own stamp on things and perhaps try to mix it up a little bit.
Stoke is a very difficult place to go to – albeit that they have lost their first two home games this season, to Aston Villa and Leicester – but they can get results on the road. They did that by winning at Man City in the league and getting a very good victory at Sunderland in the Capital One Cup.
They are a team you never think will get involved in the scrap towards the bottom of the table, but they will want to make The Britannia a fortress again because you can’t expect to get results like the City one all season long.
Bojan and Moses also have points to prove, don’t they? Is that good for the club and Hughes?
CARRA SAYS: It should be. They have been at bigger clubs and not set the world alight so that is why they are at Stoke, no disrespect to Hughes’ team. They now need to kick-start their careers, something they will need to do if they have ambitions of getting back to the level of the clubs they played for before. I think, though, that Stoke is a good platform for these lads as the club has knowledgeable fans and can offer Premier League football.
And The Potters also have one of the division’s best ‘keepers, don’t they?
CARRA SAYS: They certainly do. For Stoke to have a goalie of the quality of Asmir Begovic is a massive coup for them and you’d think he will get them some extra points this season. He has played a huge part in how well his club has done over recent years – he even got on the score-sheet against Southampton last season! – and I feel that he is more than capable of playing at a higher-ranked Premier League team, probably one chasing the Champions League spots.
You were quite critical of Newcastle’s players on Monday Night Football a few weeks ago after their 4-0 loss at Southampton. Did they redeem themselves a little against Hull last Saturday?
CARRA SAYS: I think so but they also did in the Capital One Cup in midweek when they edged Crystal Palace after extra time. I think if you asked most Newcastle supporters whether they would have taken a 2-2 draw at home to Hull they would have said ‘no’. But considering the situation with the manager and the fact they were 2-0 down, I think it was a good result and certainly something to build on.
Papiss Cisse scored both goals in the Hull comeback. Can he be the catalyst for a Newcastle revival?
CARRA SAYS: He looked like an absolute superstar when he first went to Newcastle – I vividly remember that ridiculous long-range goal he scored against Chelsea with the outside of his foot. But due to injury and loss of form, and perhaps because his mate Demba Ba left, the goals have dried up a little bit – he only scored 10 goals in the Premier League over the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons combined. Newcastle have played some pretty stuff this year, with the likes of Remy Cabella doing okay, but they are crying out for a goal scorer and if Cisse can be that he could shoot them up the table.
Paul Dummett scored the winner for Newcastle against Crystal Palace, while Adam Armstrong created two goals. How important is it to have local lads coming through, and what sort of lift does it give a club?
CARRA SAYS: All sets of supporters like to see one of their own coming through, but especially Newcastle, I think. It has been a while since a youth player established themselves in the first team with a lot of these French-speaking boys coming in. You can see why Newcastle have gone that way because they are getting good quality for not a huge amount of money but that has probably hindered the progression of some of the youngsters. There is nothing better as a fan than seeing someone come through and establish themselves and with Newcastle not pulling up trees, they have an opportunity to do that. That should be their aim.
Watch Stoke host Newcastle, live on Monday Night Football, from 7pm, Monday, Sky Sports 1.
