Alan Shearer isn’t worried about Newcastle’s suspensions against Norwich.
The Magpies will be without Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie for the game against the Canaries. The pair picked up their fifth bookings of the season away to Arsenal.
That means Eddie Howe will be forced into at least two changes tomorrow night, but Shearer isn’t worried.
“They have got a couple of players suspended for the Norwich game – left-back Matt Ritchie and centre-half Jamaal Lascelles both miss out,” he wrote in his BBC Sport column.
“But the way those two have been playing, I don’t necessarily think that is a bad thing.”
Enforced change could be good for Newcastle
Making two changes to your defence isn’t ideal, but, considering how bad we’ve been at the back this season, it might be a blessing in disguise.
Both Ritchie and Lascelles were poor against Arsenal, with each of them being at fault for the goals conceded.
Newcastle’s defence has been woeful all season. After two games, things haven’t improved under Howe.
These changes could actually benefit the Magpies. While Ritchie is committed, he certainly isn’t a defender. His positioning for Gabriel Martinelli’s goal was laughable.
As for Lascelles, he’s severely out of form as well.
Howe has a big decision to make regarding who he brings in, but he does have multiple options.
At centre-back, Ciaran Clark is probably the favourite. However, a lot of fans would rather see Federico Fernandez return. Deploying Isaac Hayden in defence is also an option.
The left-back position should go to Jamal Lewis, but playing Javi Manquillo there is also possible. It may depend on what system Howe goes with.
As Shearer said, Lascelles and Ritchie haven’t been playing well enough – their suspensions could be a blessing in disguise.
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