Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes watched on from the bench as the Magpies advanced in the Carabao Cup.
The 26-year-old lost his place in the Newcastle United starting XI on Wednesday night, having been deployed on the left wing for the Premier League defeat to Chelsea.
Harvey Barnes did not play brilliantly at Stamford Bridge, so it was not a major surprise to see him dropped. However, it will have come as a surprise to him to not even play a single minute.
Joelinton was amazing for Newcastle against Chelsea
There was a lot to celebrate about Newcastle United’s performance. One of the most positive factors was the performance of Joelinton.
He started on the left wing against Chelsea, with Anthony Gordon asked to operate on the right of attack.
The Brazilian was outstanding, and looked so much more comfortable out there compared to in the middle of the park. Joelinton has been careless at times this season, proving to be rather unreliable in centre-midfield.
But it was a different story out wide. He provided protection for Lewis Hall, while his physicality allowed Newcastle to get up the pitch and progress the ball.
His ability to handle long range passes was a constant weapon too, with Fabian Schar switching the play to Joelinton on numerous occasions. It allowed Newcastle to change the direction of their attack and exploit the space, with Joelinton dovetailing brilliantly with Joe Willock.
Harvey Barnes will be worried
It was great to see Joelinton play so well on the left wing, but that could be bad news for Harvey Barnes.
The £39million man is already struggling to establish himself as a starter in a Newcastle shirt, and that could now be even more difficult.
Barnes has done well this season. He has scored three goals, all of which have been extremely high quality.
However, he has perhaps not done enough in recent weeks to set him apart from Gordon and prove why he should be Newcastle’s regular starter on the left.
In contrast, Joelinton’s display against Chelsea did threaten Gordon’s position on the left wing. Given how well Joelinton did, Howe will be much more inclined to use Gordon on the opposite flank.
And with Joelinton thriving out wide, that gives Howe the chance to either start Sean Longstaff or Joe Willock in midfield alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali.
Opportunities are opening up, but the likelihood of Barnes being a starter for Newcastle is diminishing.
Many players look set to benefit from Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Chelsea. However, it could be the opposite for Barnes, who may have to continue to settle for a role as an impact sub.
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