Eddie Howe’s ‘radical’ solution to £40m Newcastle United injury has already worked v Arsenal

Eddie Howe will have to deal without Joelinton | Getty Images

Eddie Howe has a number of options to consider on how he deals with Joelinton’s expected absence not just this weekend, but for their four remaining games of the season.

Joelinton missed Saturday’s win over Ipswich Town with a knee injury. The Brazilian has seen a specialist this week regarding the issue, with reports from the Mail Online indicating that he has been advised to sit out Newcastle United’s remaining four matches.

Speaking about the midfielder at the weekend, Howe said: “[Joelinton] trained yesterday [Friday] but just felt his knee wasn't 100% right.

“And that's the knee that he had an injury with earlier in the season. He's done brilliantly to play through the number of games that he has without being 100% fit.

“But he got to the point where he felt he needed a slight intervention. So let's keep our fingers crossed it's not serious.”

A clash against Brighton awaits this weekend, before games against Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton concludes the season. With Champions League qualification still very much in the balance, Newcastle will need to find a way to cope without Joelinton whilst also realising their ambition of qualifying for Europe’s premier competition.

Howe has multiple options to consider, with three replacements on his bench plus a radical solution that has already proven to be a success this campaign. But what will he pick not just this weekend, but for their future outings?

Joe Willock

The most obvious and likely replacement for the Brazilian is Joe Willock. The former Arsenal man picked to start against Ipswich Town at the weekend and is a natural replacement for that role on the left of a midfield trio.

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Whilst Willock has struggled to live up to the great heights he set during their late 2022/23 season run-in, he has shown glimpses of why he can be an effective player in that role. His ball carrying skills have never been in doubt, whilst his athleticism is as close to Joelinton as any player that could possibly start in that position.

It is nigh-on impossible for the Magpies to replace Joelinton’s physicality and workrate, but Willock is the closest option they have to that and playing him again this weekend would be the least destabilising option available to Howe.

Lewis Miley

Picking Miley would be a bold call from Howe. Not because the teenager is incapable of playing in big games, if anything that is where he thrives the most, but because it would be a big statement on what Newcastle’s future midfield could look like.

Against Nottingham Forest back in February, Miley was picked in midfield alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock in the absence of both Joelinton and Sandro Tonali. Miley repaid the faith shown by his head coach with a goal that day, his second of the season having previously netted against Bromley in the FA Cup.

Miley’s inclusion on Sunday may alter how Newcastle play slightly, with his strengths often coming to the fore when the Magpies have possession of the ball and are playing in a lower tempo game. Brighton may not be the right opponents to suit Miley’s game and whilst it was also an off day for many of his teammates, Miley wasn’t able to impress when the Seagulls came to Tyneside in March for their FA Cup meeting.

Sean Longstaff

All the talk surrounding Longstaff recently has revolved around reported transfer interest from Leeds United. The 27-year-old’s future at St James’ Park is currently up in the air, but with four huge games of the season left to play, it’s not against the realms of possibility that he will have a big role to play between now and the end of the campaign.

Longstaff was an integral part of the midfield the last time they secured Champions League qualification and is someone Howe often turns to in big matches to add solidity to his midfield. He impressed greatly during their win over Arsenal in the Premier League back in November with some of his best performances in a black and white shirt coming when the pressure is on him to perform, see games against PSG (h) and Chelsea (a) on debut for evidence of that.

Longstaff’s more natural position is on the right of a midfield three, however, meaning Howe may look to shift Bruno Guimaraes to the other side to accommodate him.

Radical formation switch

Howe could also opt for a more radical solution and adopt a complete change in formation. Sven Botman's return to fitness, albeit as a very late cameo at the weekend, could usher in a five-at-the-back formation.

Newcastle deployed this to great effect against Arsenal in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at St James’ Park back in February. With Botman being flanked by Dan Burn and Fabian Schar, the Magpies had a rock solid defence that night, one the Gunners failed to penetrate as Newcastle’s place at Wembley was sealed.

With the Gunners to come again in just over a fortnight’s time, Howe may feel that is a set-up worth returning to in the next couple of games. Both Brighton and Chelsea have a rich abundance of attacking talent and Howe may feel his side’s best approach for those games is to completely nullify those threats with a back five.

Guimaraes and Tonali proved they can work as a pair in midfield, whilst Jacob Murphy and whoever plays at left-wing will be given the freedom to attack and enjoy the benefits of overlapping wing-backs.