Eddie Howe must choose between leaving out his captain Jamaal Lascelles and new signing Bruno Guimaraes and breaking up a winning squad before next weekend’s encounter against West Ham.
Jamaal Lascelles started in Newcastle United’s victories against Leeds and Everton, although he was absent from the 1-0 victory over Aston Villa owing to a claimed sickness.
A new signing has been made. Dan Burn took his position and was awarded Man of the Match, making him almost undroppable. Alongside Burn was Fabian Schar, who was left with a bandaged head after sustaining a cut, and who has now been in all three of Newcastle’s back-to-back victories.
Until Howe changes strategy, it’s doubtful that Lascelles will just stroll back into the lineup, which is the tale of Newcastle’s strengthened and resurgent side: no one is guaranteed a starting spot, with the exception of Kieran Trippier.
Even new addition Guimares, who was signed in from Lyon for tens of millions of pounds amid a social media frenzy, has been relegated to the bench. It was ostensibly to allow him time to recover from international service against Everton, but he was remained on the bench facing Aston Villa.
He started practically every league match for Lyon, and you can guarantee he will not be happy to start on Saturday when Newcastle travels to London to face West Ham.
What, on the other hand, can Eddie Howe do? Joe Willock did exactly what anyone expected of him rather than Villa: he ran into the area with the ball. By doing so, he was able to win the game-winning free-kick while also fighting for control.
Then there’s Joelinton, the other Brazilian. Joelinton is a fantastic midfielder. It’s become a cliché, but it’s well-deserved. He made crucial tackles and transferred the ball from defense to attack over Villa.
Then there’s Jonjo Shelvey, who can be risky with his tackles at times, but he’s built a midfield combination with Willock and Joelinton that has won three games in a straight. Sean Longstaff could have to wait a long time to present his case again.
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