Cheik Tiote praises partnership with Yohan Cabaye
Last updated on .From the section Football
Cheik Tiote believes he and France international Yohan Cabaye are an effective combination at the heart of the Newcastle United midfield.
Cabaye joined the Magpies from Lille in July, and has already established himself in the first-team alongside Tiote with five league starts.
"Yohan is a good player, with good technique," Tiote told BBC Newcastle.
"He gets forward, and that's good for me because I have the opportunity to play behind him."
Tiote continued: "That's my job, I have to do that, the manager [Alan Pardew] told me, and Yohan's a good partner for me.
"It's not my quality to score and go forward, and I'm happy."
The Ivory Coast international has remained a regular in the Magpies first-team this season, making five starts despite missing much of pre-season awaiting a visa.
"I feel good now, but because I missed pre-season I was behind, as I had missed two games," Tiote added.
"I was training alone, and it's not the same, they had played the two games without me.
"That is football, I had to forget about that and work hard to come back."
Tiote, a £3.5m signing from Dutch club FC Twente in August 2010, has scored once in 33 appearances for Newcastle.
BBC Newcastle has exclusive commentary of every Newcastle United fixture, including Saturday's visit of Blackburn Rovers to St James' Park on 95.4FM from 14:00 BST.
