Newcastle surely set to axe Harvey Barnes as embarrassing in-depth data emerges
Matthias Jaissle must consider dropping Harvey Barnes for Newcastle United’s upcoming clash against Bournemouth.
The winger has been a mainstay in the starting XI so far this season, and came off the bench to score two goals against West Bromwich Albion in the Carabao Cup second round last month.
However, like the Magpies in recent times, Barnes has struggled when it comes to facing Bournemouth in the Premier League.
In their last meeting at St James’ Park in April, the 28-year-old started the match and played the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 defeat.
Here, Barnes was simply awful and gave away the ball numerous times without creating anything.
Now, Jaissle should take this into account and look to drop the England international from the starting XI to avoid a repeat.
How bad was Harvey Barnes in Newcastle’s last meeting vs Bournemouth?
Barnes certainly did not have a good time in Newcastle’s last game against Bournemouth.
According to Fotmob on 4 September, the winger was very poor and was arguably one of the worst players on the pitch. The data is telling, embarrassing even.
Overall, he completed just 69 per cent of his passes, created zero chances, had a 0.08 xA, had one shot, which was off target, failed all four of his attempted dribbles, failed to find a Newcastle man with both of his attempted crosses, was dispossessed three times and only won 27 per cent of his ground duels.
Therefore, with it being clear that Barnes cannot break down Bournemouth’s first-team backline, Jaissle should bench him for Saturday’s game.
This will give the club the best possible chance of coming away with three points and continuing their excellent start to the season.
Who could replace Barnes in the starting XI?
The most obvious replacement for Barnes for the Bournemouth clash would be Bazoumana Toure.
The winger is yet to be given a true chance in the Premier League since his summer move, but he did score against West Brom in the cup.
Given that both Traore and Barnes play on the wing, it would be a like-for-like swap in the starting XI.
However, it remains to be seen if Jaissle decides to go down this route.