Newcastle United are in cup action tonight against Fulham, and Eddie Howe must surely be sweating over the fact the Cottagers are strongest in one key area that his team struggle in.
After the disastrous showing against Sunderland over the weekend, Newcastle United have a lot of making up to do for the fans who show up at St. James’ Park on Wednesday.
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Eddie Howe was criticised at the weekend for his team selection and the fact his side looked overawed by the Black Cats, and he cannot afford for the same to happen again this week.
Newcastle need to start fast against Fulham and get the crowd on side. However, there’s one huge battle that, on the basis of what we’ve seen lately, may be a struggle for the Magpies to get on top of.
Midfield battle will be key against Fulham
You only have to look at Fulham’s recent results to see that they are more than capable of hurting teams. Anyone who can score four goals past Man City deserves respect, that’s for sure.
What’s interesting about those games, though, is the source of the goals. Harry Wilson has scored three in his last four games; Emile Smith Rowe has a couple; the likes of Samuel Chukwueze, Alex Iwobi, and Kenny Tete have also chipped in.
Clearly, Fulham have goals in them from all over the pitch, but it’s those midfielders – Wilson and Smith Rowe – that I think Newcastle need to pay extra attention to.
They are the kind of players who can control the tempo of a game, dominate possession, and make things happen. Put simply, Newcastle cannot let them. That’s easier said than done, though.
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How confident are we that Newcastle will get past Fulham?
A place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals awaits, but that defeat to Fulham back in February still haunts us. How are you feeling? 👀
How does Eddie Howe get his midfield balance right?
The problem for Eddie Howe is Newcastle’s midfield has been out of sorts all season. While Bruno Guimaraes has found some passion and fire in his recent performances, we’ve seen question marks over Sandro Tonali of late and Joelinton has been criticised, too.
Lewis Miley coming into the fold more has been a breath of fresh air, and we’d expect him to start again versus Fulham.
What Newcastle really need is someone who will take control of the match and influence the flow for them, and Bruno is the only one who seems capable of doing that at the moment.
Unless Newcastle are well organised in the middle, this great opportunity to progress in the cup will be thrown away. Howe must get his line-up spot on against Fulham, and at the heart of that is choosing his midfield trio.
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