Newcastle United’s injury crisis has spread to the wings, meaning Eddie Howe has just one decision to make: keep Harvey Barnes on the right or make Anthony Gordon move?
With Jacob Murphy and Anthony Elanga out injured, it looks like Newcastle will only have two wingers to choose from ahead of the Leeds United clash on Wednesday night.
Our predicted XI for Newcastle United vs Leeds United – what would you do different?
We think Eddie Howe will make three changes 🔄️
To be fair, Harvey Barnes looked especially dangerous when he came on against Crystal Palace on Sunday. The problem is Anthony Gordon is way off his best at the moment.
The only real dilemma for Eddie Howe is deciding which side to play each of them on, but it turns out one player has a preference that is forcing the Newcastle manager’s hand.
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Anthony Gordon doesn’t want to play on the right
Putting together a predicted XI for Newcastle versus Leeds this week is pretty simple when it comes to the wide areas. Howe is obviously going to keep Gordon on the left and push Barnes out to the right side.
Speaking to the press ahead of the game, the Newcastle United manager explained why that is.
He said: “I don’t think Anthony enjoys the right, but Harvey is more open to it and enjoys the freedom there. That’s why. It doesn’t mean I can’t, but if a player doesn’t want to play there you can’t really force them to as you won’t get the same level of performances.
“Harvey can play across the midfield, he’s good between the lines, he has done well this year. His number one position is the left but he’s a goal threat on both sides. He’s a good all-round player and he turned the game for us on Sunday.”
- READ MORE: Mark Clattenburg cites Anthony Gordon incident as ‘frustration’ grows amid latest Chelsea injustice
Who would you start at right-wing going forward, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes or Anthony Elanga?
Was not a good showing from Murphy today…
Comparing Gordon and Barnes stats for 2025/26
Given their recent performances it would seem obvious that Barnes should take precedence over Gordon, but Howe clearly doesn’t see it that way.
In terms of pure attacking contributions, Gordon does actually lead the way with seven goals and three assists while Barnes has seven goals and two assists. It’s worth noting, though, that Gordon’s total includes five penalty kicks.
If we look at the non-penalty xG for both players, Barnes is actually more dangerous with 5.7 compared to Gordon’s 4.1 xG from open-play.
Meanwhile, Gordon has an average of 3.06 shot-creating actions per 90 while Barnes has 3.37. The latter also has the edge when it comes to goal-creating actions per 90, with 0.60 to Gordon’s 0.59 average.
It would seem Barnes has the advantage and is creating far more opportunities wherever he plays, while Gordon is not really contributing (from open-play, at least). To us, it would be an easy choice to switch the two players and get Gordon on the right, whether he likes it or not.
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