Newcastle United fans may be ready to celebrate Christmas now, but the club and Eddie Howe have a few things they have to resolve before the Boxing Day clash against Manchester United.
After the draw against Chelsea on Saturday, Newcastle are still in the bottom half of the Premier League table and it’s clear they have plenty of work to do.
AGREE OR DISAGREE: Eddie Howe hasn’t had it easy this season, but he should be doing much better
A trip to Old Trafford on 26 December will be a tough test for Eddie Howe and co. Indeed, if the Magpies are serious about finishing in the top five this season as planned, they will need to get a result against the Red Devils.
Granted, we are witnessing a real injury crisis at Newcastle right now, but this is no time to take their foot off the pedal and here’s what we think Howe needs to work on ahead of the Man U game.
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Things Eddie Howe needs to work on immediately
Newcastle need to sustain intensity
It’s no secret that the main issue plaguing the Magpies this season is their inability to hold onto leads. They threw away two points against Chelsea, and it’s all down to Newcastle players not maintaining intensity for the full match.
We know Howe is telling them the right things, so it must be more a case of fatigue setting in amid the hectic schedule. This time between now and Boxing Day simply has to be put to good use to ensure the players are feeling sharp, fit, and mentally prepared for the task at hand.
Howe has to get tough on the players, as difficult as that may be. The fact Newcastle keep dropping points is unacceptable, and the latest instance of this against Chelsea has to be the last time we see it happen this season.
Defensive issues must stop
Even just looking at the Chelsea game in isolation, we saw Aaron Ramsdale let the team down with his goalkeeping performance and a Malick Thiaw error cost the Magpies.
With injuries hitting the Newcastle defence the hardest, it’s understandable that they are faltering. But, these are all top players who should be able to step in and grab their opportunity to play first-team football.
Organising that back four and getting some sense of cohesion in the backline will be crucial ahead of facing a Man United team that boasts attacking talent like Bryan Mbeumo.
Newcastle have not kept a clean sheet since 5 November against Athletic Bilbao, or 5 October if we look at the Premier League only (in the win against Nottingham Forest). Again, that is not good enough, and Howe has to find a way to tighten up.
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Throwing it away AGAIN! 😬
Newcastle drop points from a winning position once more… Which of these failures disappoints you the most?
Eddie Howe’s selection headache in attack
Finally, the Newcastle United manager must find the right combination of his attacking players. Howe’s team selection has been questioned of late, especially the decision to start Anthony Elanga against Sunderland. To be fair to him, though, Elanga is being utilised wrong at Newcastle.
We also know Yoane Wissa wants to play alongside Nick Woltemade soon. That’s something the fans want to see, too, and it is surely on Howe’s mind that he needs to form a bond between his two strikers. Working on that in training now could lead to the dream being realised against Man United.
Elsewhere, Howe has to fit Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, and Elanga into two starting spots. If we discount Elanga from that conversation and assume Gordon is nailed on given his current form, that leaves Howe with a big decision to make regarding Murphy and Barnes.
It all depends what he wants from his wingers. If he’s looking for more defensive work, Murphy is the man, but in an attacking sense, Barnes is very dangerous indeed. Let’s hope Howe is ready to throw caution to the wind against United, and that his players are clear on what is expected of them.
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