Eddie Howe’s experiment cannot continue, Newcastle star was exposed vs Benfica
Newcastle United may have claimed an important Champions League victory against Benfica, but not all of Eddie Howe’s players will have enjoyed themselves.
Jacob Ramsey struggled to make an impact at St James’ Park on Tuesday, 21 October, with Nick Woltemade failing to score for the fifth consecutive game in Newcastle colours.
Nonetheless, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes were on hand to secure all three points against Jose Mourinho‘s side, taking them to seventh in the Champions League table after three games.
Nick Pope’s performance was inspired, saving his teammates from embarrassment several times, and one of his defenders will thank him especially after a performance from hell against Benfica.
Dan Burn’s weaknesses on show for all of St James’ Park to see
Despite getting two shots on target and nearly scoring from one of them, his position on the pitch left a lot to be desired, especially when going toe-to-toe with Dodi Lukebakio.
The Belgian winger caused plenty of problems for the Magpies, even hitting the post after skipping past his opponent, and had it not been for their goalkeeper, Newcastle might not have kept a clean sheet.
Burn has put up some good performances in recent weeks, even grabbing an assist against Nottingham Forest, but the decision to put him at left-back, clearly, cannot continue for much longer.
| Dan Burn vs Benfica | Stats [FotMob] |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Passing accuracy | 84% (26/31) |
| Chances created (Big chances) | 1 (1) |
| Tackles won | 0% (2/2) |
| Dribbled past | 1 |
| Ground duels won | 38% (3/8) |
| Fouls committed | 3 |
However, Howe’s biggest problem would be finding a different solution due to a lack of depth in the full-back positions, with both Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento sidelined for Newcastle.
Eddie Howe needs a new answer to Newcastle injury crisis
Livramento has been out since the end of September, and with Hall joining him just a handful of days later, there are very limited options for the manager.
Of course, the Magpies could dive straight into the transfer market once the window opens in January, but it seems unlikely that they’ll splash the cash at full-back.
Another option would be trusting someone more inexperienced, such as Harrison Ashby and Alex Murphy, but that is always a risk when Newcastle are pushing up the tables in the Premier League and Champions League.
For now, keeping Burn at left-back appears to be the obvious choice, but should they come up against a team more clinical than Benfica, the England international could be punished much more harshly.