The temptation is to say that Newcastle missed Alexander Isak. But perhaps they missed Hugo Ekitike or Benjamin Sesko or Joao Pedro or Liam Delap, or any of the strikers they had hoped to recruit to replace the one who wants to leave. Or maybe even Yoane Wissa or Nicolas Jackson, the sixth- or seventh-choice options who could end up arriving as plan F or G or somewhere still further into the alphabet. And who, as the Newcastle fans who used to idolise the Swede launched into a chorus of “One greedy bastard”, they may prefer now.
Life after Isak, or without the on-strike striker, began in predictable fashion for Newcastle, without them scoring in a match that conformed to the orthodox wisdom. It is scarcely breaking news that Isak is an outstanding centre-forward, that Newcastle have not signed a successor or that they are a lesser team while they linger in limbo. A stalemate was defined by who wasn’t there as much as who was. Because, if Aston Villa were actually the more underwhelming side, Newcastle were the team who should have won, only to be undermined by their own toothlessness. “Goals were the only thing missing,” said Eddie Howe.
