Micah Richards has claimed that Newcastle United made a big mistake in their draw against Luton yesterday.
Newcastle were very poor from a defensive standpoint against the newly promoted side, but Richards has identified something he thinks should be a big concern for Newcastle fans.
Speaking on Match of the Day, Richards was astounded that nobody was helping Dan Burn out defensively despite him getting beat time and time again down that left side.
Richards says Newcastle were ‘not good enough’ vs Luton
It was a performance that showed a lot of character and fight to earn a point after being 4-2 down in the second half, but it’s one that will give Eddie Howe a lot to think about moving forwards.
Time and time again Burn was beaten for pace by Chiedozie Ogbene as Luton identified a big weakness in Newcastle’s defence and used it to their advantage very well.
It wasn’t so much Burn that Richards had a problem with during the game, but it was the lack of support from some of Newcastle’s players as the left-back was left ‘isolated’ a number of times which caused major problems for the team.
In that sense Newcastle are really missing Joelinton who would often cover for Burn down the left, but his long-term injury leaves the team in a very tricky spot.
On the show, Richards said: “He had a very difficult time. The reason why I’ve picked him out is because we all know he’s not the fastest but he needs some help from his wingers.
“He gets in these situations where you either get tight or drop off, he doesn’t either but he needs some help. It happened so many times in the game.
“To be fair, Burn has done very well, but in today’s game he was very isolated. It’s difficult to be in there. It’s just not good enough.”
Newcastle fans can take one positive from a disappointing afternoon
Burn enjoyed a great game against Fulham a week ago and against Villa on Tuesday, at least until Leon Bailey came on, but it’s important to recognise what his strengths and weaknesses are.
Against Luton it was very obvious to see where Newcastle were struggling and how they needed to change the game by bringing on Tino Livramento, which did eventually happen in the 64th minute.
Burn still has an important role to play in this team, but that left-back spot should be Livramento’s to lose from this point on after the form he’s showed in his spells in the first team.
The former Southampton man has proven to be a quality player on both the defensive and attacking ends and offers Newcastle so much more in games like this.
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