After a dismal display on Saturday, Newcastle get an immediate chance to put things right against Everton.
The Magpies had turned the corner over the past month, but appeared to come crashing back down to earth against West Ham.
Rafa Benitez’s side struggled against the Hammers, and will face an even tougher task at Goodison Park. Everton will be out for revenge after their heartbreaking last minute defeat to rivals Liverpool, that saw former Sunderland stopper Jordan Pickford hand the Reds victory.
Despite the defeat, Marco Silva’s side did well, and Benitez might have to mix his team up to get anything from the game.
Switch the formation again
Five at the back worked a treat against Burnley, but Benitez reverted back to a defensive four on Saturday.
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Time and time again, West Ham got in behind, suggesting that maybe Newcastle need to stick with a back five. That could earn Jamaal Lascelles a recall, who was on the bench on Saturday after returning from injury.
He would play alongside Federico Fernandez and most likely Fabian Schar, with the latter looking strong on the ball.
New role for Kenedy against Everton?
Matt Ritchie was the left-wing-back against the Clarets, but he’ll miss the trip to Merseyside due to suspension. And with Javier Manquillo struggling last time out, Benitez may consider a different player for the left side of defence.
In a wing-back role, the most obvious option is Kenedy.
The Brazilian has played the role with Chelsea before, and the three centre-backs will give him extra protection should he struggle.
Who replaces Ritchie?
As previously mentioned, the Scotland international will be suspended. This frees up a position out wide, with Kenedy possibly dropping deeper.
The two options are Christian Atsu or Jacob Murphy. The latter was not seen at all on Saturday, while the former struggled off the bench. But since he actually seems to be in the first-team picture, surely Atsu is more likely to start over Murphy.
Ayoze Perez was booed at St James’ Park, but he will probably keep his place in the starting XI due to a lack of options.
Predicted lineup to face Everton: Dubravka; Schar, Lascelles, Fernandez; Yedlin, Diame, Ki, Kenedy; Perez, Rondon, Atsu.