Newcastle United have a ‘puncher’s chance’ against Manchester City this weekend according to Chris Sutton.
The Magpies head to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in the quarter finals of the FA Cup, with a place in the final four on the line.
It is going to be an incredibly tough game for Newcastle United, but there has been some news that could boost their chances. Firstly, Anthony Gordon has avoided a serious knee injury and could be back in training soon, and the fact he is in the England squad suggests he is fit. Secondly, Manchester City are going to be without Kevin De Bruyne due to injury.
But even without De Bruyne, Man City should end up having too much quality. While Newcastle will have the offensive talent to have a go at Pep Guardiola’s side, the issues are at the back.
Eddie Howe’s side have been leaking goals for months, and Chris Sutton is alarmed by how poor the Toon defence suddenly is.
Chris Sutton says Newcastle’s defensive record is ‘alarming’
Sutton has been talking about Newcastle and their upcoming game against Manchester City on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast, and looked at what is going wrong for the Magpies right now.
“They have a puncher’s chance,” he said.
“Do I think they will win? No. But I wouldn’t totally write Newcastle off. They have really dug deep at times under Eddie Howe. Will they carry a goal threat? I suspect so.
“What has been alarming about Newcastle this season is that they have got a lot of praise for last season and their defensive record but this season they have already conceded five more goals than they did in the entirety of last season in the Premier League. That’s where the problem lies but they do have some talented players going forward.”
Newcastle desperately need to tighten up
It is incredible how poor Newcastle are at the back this season, and it is even more concerning when you consider how good we were in that department last year.
Our back five, including goalkeeper Nick Pope, were rock solid. The defenders were like a group of bouncers, and anyone that got past them still had to face the giant in between the sticks.
But Newcastle have not had the same consistency in defence, and that has hindered them all season.
Firstly, Pope’s absence really stings. It has changed the way the team defends, and not for the better. On top of that, Sven Botman does not look the same after a serious knee injury, while Dan Burn has been exploited time and time again.
It will be interesting to see if things improve next month when Pope returns to fitness, but for now Newcastle need to find a way to get better without him, starting on Saturday against last season’s treble winners Manchester City.
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