Eddie Howe may not have necessarily got the high-tempo exhibition match he was hoping for, but the Newcastle United boss will still have learnt a lot from his side's 3-0 win against a stubborn 1860 Munich outfit.
Friday's friendly at the picturesque SaalfeldenArena Burgerau in Austria was a chance to see summer signings Nick Pope and Sven Botman in action for the first time while youngster Elliot Anderson again caught the eye as one of Newcastle's real bright sparks - even before Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes put 1860 Munich to the sword in the second half.
By the time Bruno added Newcastle's third goal, in the 76th minute, Howe's side had long cut loose like they did late on against Gateshead six days previously. However, the scoreline, as is so often the case with friendlies, did not tell the full story.
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Newcastle had plenty of possession in the first half but found it difficult to break down their gritty opponents who, in Howe's words, 'managed it like it was a Champions League game'. That frustration got to Newcastle at times in a stop-start opening 45 minutes against the third-division outfit. Callum Wilson shook his head following one particularly meaty challenge and Jacob Murphy briefly squared up to Martin Kobylanski after taking issue with the midfielder pulling his shirt.
While acknowledging his players were tired, after a series of double sessions in the heat this week, Howe admitted he 'wasn't happy with what I saw' in the first half. The onus was on Newcastle to rise above 1860 Munich's antics and lift the tempo and intensity of the game themselves, which the Magpies belatedly did after the break.
That response will encourage Howe as, traditionally, this side struggle when they have to break down a side who get men behind the ball, as we saw in the first half. That is why Howe's first full pre-season is so important in developing a style of play and Newcastle becoming a better side in possession.
Newcastle were sharper, more incisive and more composed in the second half and Joe Willock duly broke the deadlock in the 55th minute after getting on the end of Jonjo Shelvey's smart cutback and lashing the ball into the net.
Howe, as planned, made sweeping changes just a few minutes later as Martin Dubravka, Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Paul Dummett, Sean Longstaff, Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Miguel Almiron, Ryan Fraser and Chris Wood all entered the fray. Making so many substitutions at once can disrupt the flow of a game, but having that quality in reserve quickly paid off.
In fact, in the 63rd minute, Bruno took three players out of the game with a smart pass to Longstaff before the midfielder unleashed a rocket past Marco Hiller from just inside the area. Bruno then got on the scoresheet, himself, in the 76th minute after exchanging passes with the unselfish Chris Wood and calmly slotting home from close range.
Next up for Howe's side is a test against Bundesliga side Mainz on Monday, as the quality of opposition ramps up, before Newcastle fly home. All the while, Newcastle are continuing to work in the background on improving the squad and, clearly, a game changer in the final third would be welcomed as yesterday's fixture again highlighted.
Newcastle have encountered challenges while in fishing in a smaller pond, though, whether it is trying to sign Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak or Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, but, tellingly, Howe remains 'sure we can hopefully land a player who can make a difference to us'.
There are parallels with Newcastle's search for a centre-back in January which, in contrast to this summer's search for firepower, was the club's priority position at the start of the mid-season window. After failing to sign Sven Botman and Diego Carlos, Newcastle calmly assessed a huge list of alternatives and eventually landed Dan Burn from Brighton on deadline day, who ended up proving an inspired signing.
Now Newcastle have to do something similar to secure that elusive forward.
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