Eddie Howe knows he needs to rotate his Newcastle United starting XI against Burnley, but one change feels glaringly obvious.
While the Newcastle United manager will ponder whether to bring Fabian Schar into his side and will likely mix up his wide players, the clear change must come in midfield.
The trio of Sandro Tonali, Lewis Miley and Joelinton started Newcastle United’s draw against Tottenham Hotspur, with the former coming off at half-time due to injury.
It remains unclear whether or not Tonali will be available to face Burnley. Regardless, it is Joelinton who should be dropped from the starting lineup.
If you bumped into Eddie Howe on the street right now, what changes would you tell him to make vs Burnley?!
I’d be telling him to get Anthony Gordon in the XI after his cameo against Spurs!
Joelinton cannot start for Newcastle United against Burnley
After playing so well in the win over Manchester City, Joelinton was extremely poor against Spurs. His ineffectiveness on the ball massively hindered Eddie Howe’s side, as they left the door wide open for Thomas Frank’s side to salvage an undeserved point.
For that performance alone, Howe should look to take Joelinton out of the team.
However, the reason for benching Joelinton is twofold. Not only is he out of form, but the game against Burnley is not suited to his qualities.
The 29-year-old is a powerhouse at his best, breaking up play with his physicality. Where he struggles is keeping the ball and launching Toon attacks.
Against Burnley, it is likely that Newcastle United will dominate possession. They will have long spells on the ball when they are tasked with forcing the issue against a team that are fighting to stay in the Premier League.
With that in mind, starting Joelinton would be unwise.
Who could replace Joelinton against Burnley
When it comes to replacing Joelinton, Eddie Howe has multiple options. He had three centre-midfielders in reserve on Tuesday night, one of which was Bruno Guimaraes.
The captain is almost certain to start on Saturday, but who he replaces will depend on Tonali’s fitness. Howe may opt to rest the Italy international regardless, with Bruno taking his place.
On December 4th 2021, Eddie Howe beat Burnley to get his first win as Newcastle manager! Can you remember the two players missing from the starting XI?🤔
If that does happen, it would be between Joe Willock and Jacob Ramsey who are fighting to come into the Toon midfield in place of Joelinton. They both offer more technical quality on the ball, although neither of them have been playing regularly as of late.
Ramsey’s situation at Newcastle is particularly curious, as he felt likely to develop into a starter. However, that has not proven to be the case.
But an opportunity could potentially come his way this weekend, as Newcastle aim to return to winning ways against Burnley.
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