Newcastle United faced with huge Nick Woltemade decision ahead of Crystal Palace clash
Newcastle United return to Premier League action against Crystal Palace this weekend - and Eddie Howe has some big decisions to make.
They say time is a healer, and while the pain of the Tyne-Wear derby defeat to Sunderland still lingers and won’t be forgotten any time soon, the only thing Newcastle United can do in their bid for forgiveness is finish the Premier League campaign strongly.
Seven matches remain, the first of which is away to Crystal Palace on Sunday, and here are three selection decisions I want to see Eddie Howe make.
Nick Pope > Aaron Ramsdale
Nick Pope’s clanger in the 3-2 defeat at home to Everton on February 28 proved to be the final straw for Eddie Howe, who did something he had never done before: drop his number one. And that has been the last we have seen of the 33-year-old, with Aaron Ramsdale starting all six of the previous matches.
In a campaign littered with mistakes, few could have disagreed with Howe’s decision to remove Pope, but when the alternative isn’t working either, what’s the answer?
It’s become abundantly clear that neither Pope nor Ramsdale are the long-term answer, with the Magpies almost certain to target a new goalkeeper this summer, as opposed to triggering the £20million purchase option to turn Ramsdale’s loan from Southampton into a permanent one.
But that still doesn’t solve the issue of the next seven matches, on which Newcastle’s season is dependent. Pope is widely regarded as a better shotstopper than Ramsdale, though his recent body of work could be used to dispute that. Ramsdale, meanwhile, is far better with his feet. That gives the team a different dynamic, yet doesn’t make as many saves as Pope.
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Right now, it’s like picking between the lesser of two evils but after a spell out the side, Pope, in my opinion, has served his punishment and should be reinstated. While judging your past isn’t always healthy, Pope has done a lot more good than bad for the club since joining in June 2022.
Bruno Guimaraes back in the midfield
Yes it’s obvious, but my goodness have Newcastle missed their captain. When he is fit, he is the first name on the team sheet, and the early suggestion is that the Brazilian will be available for the visit to Selhurst Park.
Newcastle’s medical team may, understandably, err on the side of caution considering Guimaraes has missed the last two months with a hamstring issue but there is a desperation to see him back on the pitch, not only from the supporters but from his manager and teammates, too.
Put Nick Woltemade back up front
Now Guimaraes is close to returning, surely that spells the end of the Nick Woltemade in midfield experiment?
At first, I saw the logic. When Guimaraes is missing, Newcastle lack a technician in midfield. Woltemade has those attributes but we’ve all seen enough now to know he isn’t a midfielder, if you didn’t think so already.
So let’s stop the experiment and put the German back up front in his proper position. No, Woltemade is not going to press or make runs in behind like Anthony Gordon - who, by the way, is a winger - or third choice striker Will Osula, He is a totally different profile of striker, and Howe will have known from signing him.
It’s on Howe to make it work for his £64m club-record signing.