It’s difficult to get away from the Nick Pope debate at Newcastle United right now.
Pope has largely been a fine shot-stopper for Newcastle United ever since he arrived from Burnley in the summer of 2022.
Still, the 33-year-old is enduring a difficult season. Pope made a huge mistake for Newcastle against Marseille, although he wasn’t alone in performing poorly.
Should Newcastle fans be adopting this energy for Nick Pope?
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Eddie Howe insists he will continue to back Pope despite his recent poor form and that very much looks like it will be the case against Everton on Saturday.
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Nick Pope likely to start in goal for Newcastle United against Everton
According to The Athletic, the “likelihood” is that Pope will start away at Everton on Saturday.
Howe was quick to remind people after the Marseille game that the England international played well against Manchester City only a few days before.
That is true, in Howe’s defence. Pope rushing out forced Erling Haaland to shoot wide, which is presumably what he was hoping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would do on Tuesday night.
Focusing on his mistake too much would also be absolving the rest of the Newcastle players of blame. Their reaction to the setback simply wasn’t good enough.
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Eddie Howe is taking a risk on Nick Pope at Newcastle United
The Pope debate puts Howe in an impossible situation.
Given his fine track record of saves over the years, it seems likely that he will produce more of them at times.
Still, putting Pope back into the firing line is a risk for the Newcastle United manager, there’s little doubt about that.
Should he make another mistake, the fan frustration will be levelled at Howe just as much as it is Pope. It risks becoming an even bigger issue than it is now.
The calls to start Aaron Ramsdale are growing. They will only get louder and perhaps more volatile if Pope struggles again.
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