Cheick Tiote said both of those things. I feel only one of them is true.
| Cheick Tiote: Feels unloved? |
In the aftermath of the Swansea v Newcastle game, when all the dust was settling and people had a chance to take stock, Newcastle midfielder Tiote likened the men from South Wales to the Catalonian side, and after spending large portions of the game alternately chasing shadows and kicking people, it's easy to see how he can feel like that. In the first half, and in the latter stages of the second half, the Swans knocked the ball around effortlessly and it must be demoralising spending large portions of any match with the ball being knocked around you, close but constantly out of reach.
Cheick Tiote: "They play like Barca. Everyone knows about Swansea. They pass the ball well and it's difficult to play against them.
"If you don't have the ball, they're difficult to play against. You're chasing the ball all the time and it's not easy to do that."
Complimentary indeed - although some Newcastle fans seem to have taken offence to this, seeing it as an indication Newcastle were outplayed. My opinion of the match was that the Swans deserved the victory - with Newcastle only really sustaining pressure for 25 minutes maximum, whereas the Swans controlled much larger swathes of the game, so while I wouldn't go as far as to liken us to Messi & co, I can see how a player licking his wounds could form that comparison.
Another snippet from Tiote is that, apparently, he feels hard done by when it comes to picking up bookings. Tiote picked up his 12th of the season on Sunday, and protested that "he didn't touch Nathan Dyer". When you've already clattered people twice, then raise a boot which comes within centimetres of someone's head, you'll get a yellow every time, sorry Cheick. In fact, I felt the manner of Newcastle's performance could possibly have resulted in an earlier yellow card for Tiote, as he was the fulcrum around which Newcastle's borderline-illegal tackling rotated. This is a player who has played 67 games for Newcastle and collected 41 yellow cards, and made a name for himself by "putting himself about" (if you fancy looking at his style of play from a 1980's point of view). How a player with that record can come out with the following is beyond me:
Tiote: "I don't know why I was booked. I tried to take the ball but I didn't touch anyone. The referee made a decision though and I have to accept that. I think sometimes I get punished because people know I have a lot of bookings already in England. I think sometimes this happens. On Saturday I wasn't at fault but I got a booking.
"That's football though, I just need to concentrate on my game and not let it affect me. I think my discipline is better now than last season. I need to keep doing the same things and to continue to improve in that way."
You were booked, Cheick, because you almost took Nathan Dyer's head off. You've picked up a ridiculous amount of bookings because of the physical way you play. Either accept that or change your style - your choice - but you can't moan about being persecuted (fairly) for it. You didn't catch Roy Keane moaning about how he was picked on - he just got on with it and accepted that while he may not be everyone's favourite footballer, he did an effective job for the team. You can't have it both ways.