Eddie Howe must drop Newcastle United man v Arsenal & make 2026-27 striker decision
Newcastle United face Arsenal on Saturday looking to end a run of four straight defeats.
Newcastle United travel to Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday night as Eddie Howe looks to ease the pressure on himself following four straight defeats.
Here, our writer Jordan Cronin has picked out three key selection decisions the Magpies’ head coach should make.
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Drop Aaron Ramsdale and start Nick Pope
OK, so I think we’ve established that neither goalkeeper is the long-term answer but the short-term is still very much an issue heading into the remaining five matches of the season.
Nick Pope hasn’t been seen in between the sticks since his mistake against Everton on February 28 proved one too many for Eddie Howe. On-loan Aaron Ramsdale has started all eight matches since but you’ll struggle to point out any obvious improvements.
Yes, it’s widely recognised that Ramsdale is more comfortable with the ball at his feet, which, in theory, gives the team a different dynamic. But when it comes to actual shot-stopping - his double save at Crystal Palace aside - it’s hard to remember Ramsdale making a big save.
Pope is simply a better shot-stopper, even though critics will use his recent body of work to dispute that. Ramsdale struggles to make himself a presence and his positioning for recent goals conceded is questionable.
Pope, through his 6f6fin frame, is a gigantic presence and far more commanding of his box, and Newcastle need that more than ever against set-piece specialists Arsenal.
Picking between Pope and Ramsdale feels like the lesser of two evils right now, but after a spell out of the side, Pope, in my opinion, has served his punishment and should be reinstated at the Emirates.
Play Lewis Miley at right-back & get Bruno Guimaraes back in midfield
Kieran Trippier is the obvious replacement for the injured Tino Livramento, but Lewis Miley has to come into the conversation too.
Miley looked just as much a right-back as he did a midfielder in the absence of Livramento and Trippier earlier this season. Not only did he continue to show his calmness and quality on the ball, but his intelligence often saw him get the better of his opponent defensively.
It may have taken a couple of actions in the game but the 19-year-old soon worked out his opponent. It sounds easy, but it really isn’t and, as mentioned, is a sign of high football IQ.
And by putting Miley at right-back, it opens up space for Bruno Guimaraes to return to the starting XI and play alongside Sandro Tonali and Jacob Ramsey in what I think is Newcastle’s best midfield currently.
The Magpies simply don’t function without their skipper, having won just two Premier League matches without him since his arrival in January 2022. Need I say more?
Woltemade, Wissa or Osula? Play the striker with next season in mind
Who does Eddie Howe see as his centre-forward next season? If it’s Nick Woltemade, play him. If it’s Yoane Wissa, play him. If it’s Will Osula… you get the drift.
Howe says he doesn’t pick players on transfer fees but having spent the best part of £119million on Woltemade and Wissa, it’s within his best interests to make it work, at least when it comes to his club-record German.
Woltemade is one of the few players who actually made a tangible impact before being used in a midfield experiment. Now that the experiment is over, the 24-year-old deserves to have a run in his favoured position.
Will Osula is playing and scoring at the moment, so this is no slight on him. But again, after Newcastle tried to offload him last summer, is he the future? If neither of those three players are, then ignore all the above…
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