Newcastle have played three games so far without Matt Ritchie and won just one point. And his absence became abundantly clear against Brighton on Saturday.
Jetro Willems has been starting in his absence, a more natural fit for the left wing-back role. The Dutchman even got himself a goal, a stunning strike to give the Magpies a shock lead away at Liverpool.
It had seemed as though Ritchie’s absence wasn’t going to hit us too hard, but it was very noticeable against the Seagulls.
Brighton game may have been different with Ritchie in the side
Steve Bruce’s side lacked intensity from the first minute, aimlessly letting Brighton pass it around the park, unable to lay a glove on the men in green. Would this have happened if Ritchie was playing? Definitely not.
The former Bournemouth man is the heartbeat of this Newcastle side, and has been ever since he arrived. Promotion to the Premier League showed that Ritchie maybe isn’t as technically sound as his rivals or even some of his teammates, but his energy is unrivalled.
He sets the tempo, even if he’s been reduced to a defensive role in the past year. His attitude is second to none, and it’s clear that we desperately need him back.
The Scotland international has been out of action since a horror challenge from Hamza Choudhury in the League Cup, and it is unknown when he will return.
There were reports that he was ahead of schedule, but Bruce brought us back down to earth.
“Ritchie was doing really, really well and then had a little bit of…he was doing too much basically,” he told the Chronicle before the Brighton game. Working too hard, what a surprise.
When he does return, Ritchie must walk straight back into the starting XI. Or more likely in his case, run into it and kick a corner flag. As Jonjo Shelvey said, he’s an ‘angry little man’.
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