Do you feel a bit unlucky to have got nothing from that game?
RM: Yeah, I think we deserve something out of it. I think even in 11 vs 11 I was really proud of the performance of the players.
They were great. We watched so many games of Newcastle last season against teams who try and build up and play.
They just got steamrolled really by an aggressive, athletic and powerful team and today I thought we caused them a lot of problems.
I was really proud of the guys’ intensity and courage to play and then we get punished for the biggest mistake and it’s not an individual one, it’s for five minutes.
Mentally, the opposition gets a man sent off so you take a breath, you drop your energy level a bit, thinking it might become a bit easier, but it’s not easy.
We got punished for that, so it’s not like Newcastle changed anything. They’re in the same position they were before, but we changed our level of intensity.
It is what it is. We got punished for it. We still created enough chances to win the game after that, their goalkeeper makes two really good saves.
They block and defend with their lives, which they’re brilliant at. We just couldn’t quite get a break from it, unfortunately.
Has a lot of the performance given you confidence for the season?
RM: It’ll be brilliant for our group. That first half an hour in particular will be fantastic. We have a lot of guys playing their first game in the Premier League.
A lot of guys who haven’t played very many games in the Premier League, and a lot of guys who last time in the Premier League, the games looked very different.
I think they will grow from this and they will improve from this. We will all take a lot of belief from today, I think.
What did you make of the red card?
RM: I just got asked if Ben made a meal of it. When he stands still and the guy leads with his head, you allow someone to make the most of it.
I guarantee their players would have done the same. It’s a moment of madness from their player. The reason we have VAR is to overturn decisions if they’re wrong.
They’ve seen it back on numerous occasions in slow motion and that stuff. So it has to be a red card, I guess.
How did the reaction and atmosphere change the game?
RM: The game could have changed hugely and didn’t. It could have been really transitional if we’d just given the ball up.
But it turned into attack versus defence because the guys were disciplined. They moved the ball with speed and aggression. They just defended brilliantly
Even with 10 men in the Premier League, I’ve watched games that just turn into absolute free-for-all so I’m proud of them for keeping that control.
But we gave them something to hang on to and they’re a good team, so they did.
People will say the goal was predictable after pre-season – how do you respond to that?
RM: It depends on who’s saying it. If you support the team and the club, you support the team for everything. It doesn’t bother me.
Al will be fine. The problem is the few minutes before that and the throw-in shouldn’t even end up back at him. We’ll sort that out.
He made one mistake and we’ve been punished – but it’s not just him. It’s on me for asking him to play that way.
And it’s on the players for going back to him in the first place because they shouldn’t. They shouldn’t have to, and that’s a lack of intensity.
Ben Brereton Diaz and Yukinari Sugawara made Premier League debuts – your thoughts?
RM: Ben’s shown us what a good player he’s going to be when he’s fully up to speed. I’ve been really impressed with him since he’s come in.
Yuki was good. I thought he was good. He delivered a couple of really brilliant crosses but we’re playing against 10 men. We wanted to bring a winger on the pitch.
Kyle Walker-Peters played there on the right last season, all-season for us, and can dribble and one against one is very good.
Yuki just paid the price for the game situation. It wasn’t his performance at all. I think he’s going to be a really top player for us.
Cameron Archer and Lesley Ugochukwu joined the club this weekend – what will they add?
RM: They both had interest from other clubs and I’m really pleased they’ve chosen us – and Chelsea for choosing us to help develop Lesley.
I am really impressed with them both as young men. I met them both, and discussed things at length. I think they fit in really well.
They give us something we don’t have. Lesley, in his position real power, real athleticism. Cameron is really sharp, really quick and an absolute goal threat.
I think they’re both going to be brilliant signings and I’m really, really pleased to get them done.
You said a lot of your players don’t have a lot of Premier League experience. Is this a harsh lesson as to how fine the margins can be?
RM: Yeah, I think we need to use the pain that we’ll feel from today, and the disappointment and the frustration.
Whilst we’ll take a lot of belief from it and a lot of confidence, we have to feel those things as well because we should get something out of the game.
I’m annoyed and frustrated we didn’t, as the players will be. We have to use that to our advantage next week.
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