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He may have got off to a sputtering start at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after almost 10 months out for Newcastle United, but it didn’t take Sven Botman too long to show his class.
Once Eddie Howe declared Botman ‘available’ for the match at Spurs, he was always going to be hard-pressed to leave a player of his quality out of the side. Despite so long out, Botman has been training fully for six weeks and played three practice matches in preparation for his long-awaited return.
I was present for Botman’s first return to action for Newcastle Under-21s against Chelsea as he strolled through 60 minutes and kept a clean sheet. But this was quite different to a cold Monday night at Whitley Park!
Unlike last season, the risk of starting Botman after his serious ACL injury this time around was minimal. The Dutch defender has been back in the gym since the summer and has undergone a meticulous recovery process.
A minor illness over the festive period prevented Botman from returning on the bench at Manchester United on Monday. But in the days building up to the Spurs trip, Botman informed Howe that he was fit and ready to start on Saturday.
A shaky start for Sven Botman and Newcastle United
Botman came into the side in place of the suspended Fabian Schar, who will also miss the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Arsenal on Tuesday night. The 24-year-old was coming into a defence that had not conceded in its last four Premier League outings.
But it took just four minutes for Spurs to break the deadlock and end that run of over 360 minutes without conceding. Dominic Solanke showed good movement to peel off Botman and head the hosts in front early on.
Some rust was expected from Botman and it was evident in the opening goal as he was caught on the back foot. The Dutch defender’s performance was initially shaky as he had to quickly get up to speed with the game.
Falling awkwardly on his left knee early on wouldn’t have helped proceedings as his passes were slightly hesitant and he was pulled out of position. But once Newcastle drew level through Anthony Gordon and gained some control of the match, Botman grew into things.
Newcastle United’s swift turnaround
An impressive block to deny Solanke’s edge-of-the-box effort after 10 minutes was the first positive action Botman had in the match, but it wouldn’t be the last. The Dutch centre-back quickly gained confidence and composure along with his team-mates in the game.
Only Bruno Guimaraes and Tino Livramento had more touches for Newcastle in the game than Botman, who made the most tackles and interceptions of any Magpies player. Botman had to dig deep, put his body on the line and get involved - it wasn’t like Newcastle’s recent wins that have largely been a stroll in the park for the defence.
Botman’s big strength as a defender is his ability to play the ball out and break the lines - something epitomised by his stunning 50-yard free-kick to release Jacob Murphy down the right at the end of the first half. Sadly it came to nothing.
After Alexander Isak put Newcastle in front, Botman was one of the reasons the scoreline remained 2-1 with an assured defensive display in the second half. A last-man challenge shortly after the restart cleared the danger after it initially looked like Newcastle had allowed Spurs to break clear.
As the fatigue started to set in in the closing stages, Botman was booked for a late challenge on James Maddison on the edge of the box - fortunately, it came to nothing. Eventually, the defender was substituted in stoppage time after going down with cramp.
Perhaps the most impressive and encouraging thing about Botman’s display was how he was able to get through 90 minutes of an incredibly physically and mentally demanding match.
Despite limping off, Botman has since declared himself available for Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg trip to Arsenal (8pm kick-off).
As his match sharpness and fitness improve with each passing game, Botman should prove himself a bigger and bigger asset to Eddie Howe and Newcastle United once again.