Archive
Practice Makes Perfect For Debuchy
Written by Newcastle Utd
Mathieu Debuchy believes the chance to spend some quality time on the training pitch this week will help him to gel with his new team-mates
By Dan King - Newcastle United Club Reporter
New boy Mathieu Debuchy is looking forward to a full week of uninterrupted training ahead of a "massive" Barclays Premier League fixture against Aston Villa next Tuesday.
Due to the Magpies' European commitments, Alan Pardew and his coaching staff have only had limited opportunities to work with the players at the club's Benton headquarters this term.
On many occasions, the training schedule has been somewhat disjointed due to the extra midweek fixtures but with a free week ahead and no game at the weekend, Debuchy is looking forward to spending some quality time on the training pitch with his new team-mates.
The former Lille full-back believes he will benefit from getting to know his colleagues better despite impressing in his two appearances so far, and believes practice could make perfect for the team in the weeks ahead.
"The next few days give us a good chance to train and to prepare for the Aston Villa match, which is a massive game for us," he told nufc.co.uk. "I think we're definitely a team that deserves to be in the top half of the table and not in the position in which we are at the moment.
"So it's up to us to put in the work in order to improve and climb up the table.
"It was very disappointing to lose on Saturday. We played very well in the first half and we controlled the entire game but unfortunately we couldn't score more.
"We should have played the second half in the same way that we did the first. In the first half we controlled the ball, we passed it around, we moved it and we were very fluid. But in the second half we were a little bit too deep and we didn't have as many chances as in the first."
The France international was solid defensively as United kept a clean sheet on his debut at Norwich, then provided several glimpses of his attacking qualities against Reading on Saturday.
"It's something I want to do - I want to get forward," he said. "It's only my second game so I've got to learn more about the team and how they play but I want to get forward whilst also remaining cautious to keep my defensive duties.
"I think there's a lot more intensity in the Premier League. Obviously here there's everything for the full 90 minutes. You have to go for it - there's no letting up or easing off at all in the Premier League."
Click here to buy a Newcastle United shirt with Debuchy's name and number on the back