There were little in the way of significant first-team signings this summer, meaning the Newcastle United manager has to tinker with what he’s got.
Clearly, that’s brought its own problems at times. There have been criticisms of the midfield trio consisting of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, while Anthony Gordon isn’t believed to think he’s at his best when playing out on the right wing.
Still, Howe has broadly done a good job in refreshing this side using the tools he already had available to him.
No new defensive signing? Fine, Dan Burn can play centrally and Lewis Hall can flourish at left-back. No right winger signed? Play Gordon or Joelinton there to cover, while either of those or Harvey Barnes can play on the left.
It is a testament to Howe’s coaching that he’s able to find a way of balancing the side without having to rely on new additions.
Interestingly, it seems the statistics suggest that four Newcastle players in particular help the side become a much better team.
The four players who make Newcastle United a much better team
An article from Sky Sports reveals some interesting numbers in regard to one quartet.
Newcastle are, in fact, a much better team with Guimaraes, Joelinton, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock in the side.
The four have started only 13 Premier League games together due to various injuries but have not lost a single one, winning ten of them.
Hopefully, with a reduced schedule and things seemingly improving on the injury front, Newcastle can rely on them more often.
While not to doubt the Italian’s quality, there wouldn’t appear to be a natural fit for him in the side right now. Obviously, having a player of such class on the bench is hardly a hardship but the former AC Milan midfielder surely won’t be delighted at playing a back-up role.
With that in mind, Newcastle legend Rob Lee looks spot on with his assessment that Tonali just doesn’t feature in Howe’s best midfield right now.
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