Eddie Howe suddenly has a lot of decisions to make ahead of Newcastle United’s game against Arsenal.
The Magpies’ 2-0 win over Chelsea has changed the mood on Tyneside. After weeks of doom and gloom, optimism has returned.
St James’ Park was loud and proud on Wednesday night, as Eddie Howe’s side produced the type of performance that they have always been capable of during this difficult run.
The Newcastle United manager tweaked his team against Chelsea, with Howe making five changes to his starting lineup. Howe also used Sandro Tonali in a different role, and it proved to be a masterstroke.
One of those five changes saw Lloyd Kelly make his first Newcastle United start since the third round of the Carabao Cup. He took Dan Burn’s place in defence, starting alongside Fabian Schar at centre-back.
Lloyd Kelly comments on his Newcastle performance vs Chelsea
This was Kelly’s fifth start for Newcastle United, but just his first at centre-back.
Kelly proved against Wimbledon that centre-back is his best position, and the 26-year-old was very happy with his performance in the Carabao Cup fourth round versus Chelsea.
Following Newcastle’s 2-0 win, Kelly spoke to the club’s official website about his performance.
“I enjoyed it,” he said.
“My performance was where I know I can play at. Being that voice, being that leader on the pitch and doing my job.
“I’m definitely pleased with it [his performance].”
Lloyd Kelly hints he should be a Newcastle starter ahead of Arsenal
With Kelly playing so well at centre-back, he has given Howe a decision to make ahead of facing Arsenal on Saturday.
The Newcastle United manger must decide whether to revert back to playing Dan Burn as the left-sided centre-back, or reward Kelly for his great performance with a first Premier League start as a centre-back for Newcastle.
I would be inclined to go with the latter. Pace at the back has been a big problem for Newcastle, as we saw away to Chelsea on Sunday.
Kelly can rectify that problem, which can allow Newcastle to play higher up the pitch.
Why Eddie Howe might not start Kelly against Arsenal
While Kelly brings more speed to the Newcastle backline, he is not as physical as Burn. In truth, not many are.
And that could be vitally important against an imposing Arsenal side that are very good at set pieces. Howe would surely be very reluctant to lose Burn’s height, and that could be what costs Kelly his place in the starting XI.
One alternative could be to use Kelly at left-back, but it would be extremely harsh to drop Lewis Hall. He is playing very well at the moment, and will be feeling very confident as he prepares to come up against Bukayo Saka.
While Kelly perhaps deserves a run in the Newcastle team at centre-back, it feels unlikely.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
