Newcastle put in a battling performance in the Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat to Leicester on Wednesday, but the display came at a cost, with further injuries being incurred.
Jetro Willems got his first start since signing in the summer, and was forced off with a hamstring injury in the second-half, after seeming to fall over the ball.
Another new signing, Emil Krafth, was also forced off with a thigh injury, while Matt Ritchie was on the receiving end of a cowardly tackle from Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury, which Steve Bruce was livid about.
It leaves Newcastle very short of cover in the wide defensive areas, and may see a significant reshuffle at the back for the visit of Watford on Saturday.
Fortunately, Newcastle are well stocked at centre-back, and that may help out at the weekend, giving Bruce the option of playing Paul Dummett at left-back – where he has spent most of his career to date.
Dummett has been a revelation at the heart of the defence in a back three, and in my opinion, it is his best position.
Could a new formation also be employed against Watford?
If the former Welsh international is moved wide, it gives Bruce a couple of options for his lineup.
He could stick to his back three, with two wing-backs, by bringing Federico Fernandez – who gave a solid performance on Wednesday – into the lineup to accompany Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles.
That would see Dummett and, most likely, Javier Manquillo as wing-backs. But neither of those have the pace and attacking flair for that role to be their natural game.
So there is also an option of reverting to a flat back four, which would not necessarily be a bad move, particularly with it being a home game, against a struggling Watford, that we will expect to be on the front foot for.
If that is the case, a back four of Manquillo, Schar, Lascelles and Dummett sounds like a solid formation, and could bolster a much more attacking team and display.
Personally, I would like to see a back four played for this game, even if it is not the preferred lineup for the rest of the season.
It could pay dividends in a game that Bruce has claimed a win in would cap a “wonderful start” to the season going into the international break.
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