Dan Burn destined to go in January – Three things learned from Bayer Leverkusen vs Newcastle
Newcastle United endured a frustrating night in the Champions League as they drew 2-2 away at Bayer Leverkusen.
The Magpies have been resurgent in the Premier League of late, and they were left to wonder what could have been in European action after a late concession.
An unfortunate own-goal from Bruno Guimaraes put them on the back foot in the early stages, but a penalty from Anthony Gordon and a Lewis Miley header turned the game on its head in the second half.
Newcastle were beaten by Marseille in their last European outing, and they looked set to bounce straight back with a win, until Alejandro Grimaldo levelled for the hosts in the 88th minute.
It was a frustrating end for Eddie Howe, given the nature of the second half, but he will have learned plenty about his team from their turnaround.
Lewis Miley deserves a run in the starting XI ahead of Joelinton
Miley’s future at Newcastle was up in the air over the summer, as the youngster has found it difficult to regularly earn himself a starting spot in the midfield.
The trio of Guimaraes, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali have been largely superb for the Magpies in recent months, but Miley’s winner on Wednesday night looks set to represent a coming-of-age moment.
The starlet looked energetic and powerful in the middle of the park, and also added a little more calmness and quality on the ball when he replaced Joelinton.
Howe has relied heavily on the Brazilian, who has been transformed in recent years, but it could now be time for him to make way for Miley to break through.
The academy graduate is tipped to have a huge future ahead of him, and Howe needs to be brave and give him a run of starts in order to prove himself further.
Eddie Howe has got to address set piece frailties
Set pieces have been a huge issue for Newcastle in the Premier League this season, as they have looked susceptible almost every time a ball has been delivered into their box.
The problem reared its head for them again on Wednesday night, as the ball eventually squirmed past Aaron Ramsdale following a deep corner being delivered to the back post.
The visitors failed to get first contact on the cross deep inside their own penalty area, and they were punished for their scrambling efforts as the ball came off Guimaraes and angled into their net.
Howe has been unable to stem the issues from dead-ball situations, despite having significant height in the likes of Burn, Malick Thiaw and Joelinton.
The Leverkusen concession was yet another reminder that he simply has to find a way of tightening his team up from set pieces if they are to progress.
Newcastle simply have to replace Dan Burn in January
Dan Burn has been an excellent servant for Newcastle in recent years, but Wednesday’s clash away at Leverkusen exposed all the frailties that he brings to the defence.
The 33-year-old was continuously caught out by the hosts’ fluid and energetic attack, and he simply doesn’t have the required level of mobility to adequately compete against opponents like that.
The Magpies’ plan to use Thiaw as a man-marker on Patrik Schick regularly left Burn as the last man as Leverkusen carried the ball up the pitch in transitions.
Burn has been a surprisingly dependable option for Howe during Newcastle’s recent return to European football, but they cannot continue to rely on him as a first-choice option at either centre-back or left-back if they want to improve as a team.