Wolves v Newcastle United: The key battles and areas for Eddie Howe's side to exploit
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Newcastle United are set to travel to Molineux this Sunday for a match up against bottom of the league Wolves.
With a more than woeful start to the season now behind them Rob Edwards side are finally finding some momentum, going into the game with a streak of three games unbeaten.
Edwards and his men failed to garner more than two points in Premier League play until matchweek 19 when a draw away against seventh place Manchester United sparked some hope of a return to success. Followed by a convincing 3-0 home win against West Ham and another scrappy point on the road against Everton the tide seems to be turning for Wolves, who now have 7 points, but still sit rock bottom.
Their visitors have also found fine Premier League form recently, with three wins and a draw in their last five matches. Isolating Wolves recent performances, they possess a handful of midfield players that could hold the key to handing Newcastle their first league loss since Boxing Day against Manchester United.
Teenager Mateus Mané is a standout threat in the midfield with two goals and seven on target shots on goal from just 447 Premier League minutes. An England national team junior, Mané regularly draws a lot of the attention he receives from his skill and footwork, using quick feet and body swerves to outplay the defence. Alongside Mané, Jhon Arias adds a similar style of vertical running from the opposite side of the pitch, timing late surges into the box that have already evaded the defence of West Ham and Everton.
In the forward position ahead of the pair, Tolu Arokodare has added a physical strength to the side, his dominance winning aerial duels and presence in the box offering a direct threat against Newcastle’s back line. Finally, with two goals and an assist, Hwang Hee-chan lines up as another forward the Magpies will have to watch as he has a talent of drifting across the frontline to link play and drag defenders out of shape.
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Although this should be an easy three points for Howe’s team this weekend, Newcastle have sustained multiple hits to their back line with defenders Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Tino Livramento all out injured with no return dates confirmed. The timing has been frustrating for Howe who admitted his side have been stretched defensively after welcoming back Sven Botman, only to lose another key figure in Schar.
“It’s not ideal for us,” Howe said. “We’ve been stretched in that area for a while, and we get Sven back and then lose Fabian, and Fabian’s been outstanding for us.”
While he says Burn is making progress in returning to the pitch, Newcastle may need to turn to their attacking quality to secure a result on Sunday, starting with their lead goalscorer Bruno Guimarães. With eight goals and three assists so far the Brazilian has proved himself invaluable to Newcastle. Alongside him, youngster Lewis Miley also has three assists, the pair possessing the creativity to ensure they capitalise on the big moments to collect the club’s next three points.
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