Three Newcastle stars that Eddie Howe must axe vs Chelsea: Number one pick has really failed to impress
Joelinton, Anthony Elanga and Aaron Ramsdale should all be on the bench for Newcastle when they face Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.
Newcastle lost their last league game to north-east rivals Sunderland as Nick Woltemade headed into his own net and it ended 1-0 to the hosts on Wearside.
Eddie Howe rang the changes in midweek as the Magpies faced Fulham at the quarter-final stage of the Carabao Cup, and his approach worked as goals from Yoane Wissa and Lewis Miley earned them a 2-1 victory.
Now their focus will turn back to the Premier League as fourth-placed Chelsea make the trip to St James’ Park for a lunchtime kick-off on Saturday.
Howe will have some huge selection decisions to make as they aim to win back-to-back games for the first time in two months, and Football Insider have looked at three players who should not be starting if they want three points on home turf.
Joelinton
Joelinton‘s season has been stop-start so far as he continues to struggle with injuries and form, with just 33 per cent dribble success rate this season, and his place in the starting eleven is far from secure given recent developments.
The Brazilian midfielder has not started either of the last two league games, and he remained on the bench against Sunderland and Fulham, as Howe admitted on Wednesday that he is nursing a groin problem.
He is believed to be fit “to a point”, according to the boss, and he will undoubtedly be tempted to throw him in from the start against a tough team like Chelsea who will want to dictate the midfield above all else.
Miley has shone in his absence recently though, and his winner against Fulham means that he should be trusted alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali on Saturday.
Anthony Elanga
Elanga was signed by Newcastle in the summer to become their new marquee forward and a regular starter out wide, but he has struggled so far with just seven league starts this season.
There are serious concerns about the way he has adapted to life on Tyneside, and Newcastle fans ripped into Elanga for the way he underperformed against Sunderland when the pressure was on last week.
The Sweden international pretty simply does not deserve another chance from the off in a huge game against the Blues, especially as Jacob Murphy put in a strong performance against Fulham and Harvey Barnes can also be utilised on the right-wing.
Aaron Ramsdale
Ramsdale was signed by Howe to provide competition to Nick Pope this season, and he has been given the chance to show what he can do in recent weeks after the 33-year-old suffered a groin injury.
Pope wasn’t in great form before being sidelined, but the ex-Arsenal stopper has not looked particularly convincing either, with eight goals conceded and no clean sheets in the six games he has played since entering the team.
Howe has hinted at Pope’s return from injury ahead of this weekend’s key clash, and since he is his number one keeper, it would be wise to reinstate him into the side immediately, rather than risk uncertainty around squad roles with the 33-year-old on the bench and Ramsdale starting ahead of him.