It’s a funny thing that awaits the PSG players in Newcastle this Wednesday evening.
Be careful, sloping lawn! This Wednesday evening, PSG meets Newcastle for its second group match of the season in the Champions League. A poster which will be played on the lawn of Saint James Park, one of the oldest sports grounds in England. The Magpies Temple in the kingdom is legendary, and for good reason! Its lawn slopes from north to south!
“ The lawn slopes down on one sideconfirms Yohan Cabaye, who played within both clubs. When you watch it on television, from left to right, it goes down. If there is a possibility of changing, of taking the climb in the first half and the descent in the second, it’s a small detail, but it’s more difficult to climb the slope at the end of the match », breathes the former French international in an interview with Canal+.
“It’s like hitting a golf ball uphill.”
Over the decades, numerous works have been undertaken to mitigate the slope. More than five meters of difference in height have been bridged over time. But a good meter of height continues to separate the two ends of a plot of land 110 meters wide, which corresponds to an average inclination of slightly less than one degree… all the same!
“ As a goalie, I remember looking up at the hill thinking my punts weren’t going anywhereadmitted Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope recently, remembering his debut at Saint James Park. It’s like hitting a golf ball uphill. When you play an uphill golf shot, you say to yourself, this isn’t going to do it, I’m going to have to hit it a lot harder. It’s a truly impressive hill. » Impressive and inevitably a little tricky when you’re not used to it.
