Newcastle United round-up as attention turns to Nottingham Forest following UCL win
The latest updates from St. James' Park as Newcastle United prepare to face Nottingham Forest after beating Union SG.
Newcastle United will look to transfer their positive energy from the Champions League into their domestic campaign when they host Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
The Magpies thrashed Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 in Brussels on Wednesday, clocking up their biggest-ever Champions League win. But all is not well in the Premier League, with Sunday’s late 2-1 defeat against Arsenal leaving Eddie Howe’s men 15th with just one win and six points from six matches so far.
With that in mind, this weekend’s clash at St. James’ Park is extremely important as Eddie Howe looks to get his side’s Premier League campaign up and running. Unsurprisingly, the pre-match chatter has already begun, while there’s plenty of reflection on the win over Union SG.
Eddie Howe offers Tino Livramento update
There have been plenty of worries regarding Tino Livramento after the young defender - who suffered an ACL injury during his pre-Newcastle career - was stretchered off with a knee injury against Arsenal. Howe remained noncommittal about his status prior to Wednesday’s win, but after the match, the boss gave what should be taken as a positive update, with Livramento facing a decent spell on the sidelines, but not as long as initially feared.
“Yeah, so from [Tuesday], Tino, we think, will be at roughly around six to eight weeks,” he explained. “Which is probably positive from where we were after the [Arsenal] game, thinking it might be months. “So yeah, we're probably looking, not this international break, but maybe the next one he could be back. So certainly more positive than we initially feared.”
On the other flank, Lewis Hall returned to action from the bench on Wednesday after missing the Arsenal defeat, but he will still need time. So with Livramento out long-term, that means more uncomfortable appearances at left-back for Dan Burn.
Eddie Howe reveals Newcastle’s post-Isak penalty plan
Two of Newcastle’s four goals in Brussels came from the penalty spot, with Anthony Gordon dispatching both efforts. After the match, Howe confirmed the winger has been practising spot-kicks recently and will officially take the role of Newcastle penalty-taker following the summer departures of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson.
“Yeah, I think Anthony's been practising them a lot,” Howe said. “He's been working very hard on his routine. You can see that he's very focused. I was really pleased with how he took the two penalties. And I think when you see someone as dedicated as he's been towards that, yeah, no hesitation in giving him that role.”
The awarding of the second spot-kick was particularly surprising, given there wasn’t much in the way of appeals from Newcastle players. However, a VAR review showed a handball from Union defender Fedde Leysen, meaning he was unfortunately punished in his own box for the second time in one night. UEFA have since made a statement to clarify the decision. “Penalty - handball offence. Union SG's player, No. 48, touched the ball with his right arm, which was in an unnatural position and away from the body.”
Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Harvey Barnes grabbed the goals on a glorious night for the Magpies, but it was Anthony Elanga who was named Man of the Match. The Swedish winger was a menace throughout, putting in the sort of performance fans will hope becomes commonplace after a slow start to life at St. James’ Park.
UEFA’s Technical Observer group clarified their decision after the match, saying: "He had a great first half, was really positive and it was always a treat to watch him when he got the ball. He was heavily involved in the first two goals to settle this game." Meanwhile, Howe is pleased with the progress Elanga is making and believes this performance was another step in the right direction.
Woltemade earns Germany call-up after strong Newcastle start
Woltemade’s strike against Union was his third in six Newcastle appearances so far since joining from Stuttgart this summer. It’s been an impressive start to life in the North East, and one that’s been rewarded with another call-up to the German national team for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
Woltemade has four caps to his name so far and provided an assist in a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, there is no such luck for Malick Thiaw, who has been left out of Julian Nagelsmann’s squad despite showing some strong form of his own at the heart of Newcastle’s defence.