Alan Shearer is seriously concerned about two Newcastle United players following the 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
The Magpies were absolutely shocking against Forest, as Chris Wood scored a hat-trick on his return to Tyneside to ensure that it was not a very happy Christmas at St James’ Park.
While our form is shocking right now, there is no pressure on Eddie Howe. The board still have complete confidence in him, and that will remain the case even if the club continue to struggle in January with a tough run of fixtures looming.
But the performance against Forest was massively worrying, and Alan Shearer has picked out two players who looked ‘miles off’ on Tuesday – Dan Burn and Sven Botman.
Alan Shearer not impressed with Dan Burn and Sven Botman vs Nottingham Forest
Shearer has raised his concerns about Botman and Burn on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast.
“Botman has come back and Dan Burn has come back and they didn’t look anywhere near fit,” he said.
“They looked two yards short of what they normally are.
“Eddie went back to his trusted back four, which has been really successful for him over the past 18 months or so. He went back to that but those two in particular didn’t look anywhere near fit.
“It’s difficult, unless you are inside the training ground you haven’t a clue what’s going on, but looking at them on the pitch they looked miles off.”
Newcastle’s reliable defence is not fit enough just yet
The back four that started against Forest were so reliable last season, but they were not fit for purpose on Boxing Day.
Ahead of kickoff, it was difficult to see how Burn was going to cope with the speed of Anthony Elanga, with Tino Livramento surely a more sensible option to play at left-back. Those concerns proved to correct, as the 31-year-old endured a torrid afternoon in black and white.
It was great to see Sven Botman start a Premier League game for the first time since September, but he also looked miles off the pace. It was one of his worst performances in a Toon shirt, on a day when not many Magpies delivered. Alexander Isak was decent and Lewis Miley did well, but that was about it.
Defensively, Newcastle’s lack of pace was exposed. Combine that with a lack of sharpness and it is a wonder that Wood only scored three.
Both Botman and Burn are coming back from nasty injuries, and it is clear that they are still not fully back up to speed.
For Howe, he needs bodies back. That is why Burn and Botman have been thrust back into the side – arguably earlier than they should have been. They are still recovering themselves, and it was clearer than ever on Boxing Day that they are nowhere near fit enough to immediately play their best football.
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