Eddie Howe has some big decisions to make ahead of Saturday’s game against Fulham, and will hopefully take the advice of Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer.
The Magpies are off to the capital to face Fulham at Craven Cottage, where Newcastle United have an outstanding record as of late. They have won their last five games at Craven Cottage, and will hope to make it six this weekend.
If they do, Newcastle United will eclipse their start to the 1995/96 season. If they can win and achieve 13 points from 16, only the 1994/95 season will have seen the Magpies enjoy a better start.
And a win will also see Newcastle go top of the Premier League, even if it is only temporarily. How long they stay top would depend on the result of Manchester City vs Arsenal on Sunday.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 1 |  Man CityManchester City | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 12 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| 3 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
Eddie Howe will be considering changes to his Newcastle team
Ahead of the game against Fulham, Eddie Howe will be pondering what changes to make to his starting XI.
His side beat Wolves 2-1 on Sunday, with the Magpies’ substitutes playing a pivotal role in the comeback victory.
Sandro Tonali and Joe Willock changed the dynamic of Newcastle’s midfield, while Harvey Barnes’ long-range screamer proved to be the winner.
They are all pushing for starts, and it is the latter who has made the strongest claim to be in the Newcastle United starting XI.
Alan Shearer’s advice ahead of Fulham vs Newcastle
It was a shock to see Harvey Barnes dropped to the bench against Wolves. He had done well in the previous game, scoring in the 2-1 win over Tottenham.
But the 26-year-old had to settle for a role as a substitute, only to prove a major point to Howe with his match-winning performance.
It became more evident that Barnes should be a starter for Newcastle, but that creates a conundrum. He wants to play on the left wing, which is also Anthony Gordon‘s preferred position.
While that is an issue, Alan Shearer believes that the solution is to move Gordon to the right.
On Monday’s episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, Gary Lineker asked Shearer to name his preferred front three for Newcastle right now.
“Probably Gordon on the right and then Barnes on the left-hand side and Isak down the middle,” he said.
“I mean that’s a really, really good front three.”
Newcastle have to go with Shearer’s preferred front three
It might not suit Gordon, but Howe needs to listen to Shearer and deploy that front three at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The alternative is using Jacob Murphy or Miguel Almiron on the right, and neither are pushing for a place in the starting XI with their performances as of late.
Howe needs to get his best players on the pitch, and that means starting Barnes and Gordon. Sure, it means deploying Gordon on the right, but he is much better suited to playing out there than Barnes.
Barnes’ biggest strength is his ability to come inside and shoot with his right. In contrast, Gordon is much more comfortable at going both ways. He is much more unpredictable, and that is why he has to be used on the right.
However, the one caveat is the fitness of Alexander Isak. The forward was forced off against Wolves due to a problem with his vision, and Howe is hopeful that Isak’s injury is not serious.
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