Eddie Howe has been under pressure at Newcastle United in recent weeks but he got the big calls absolutely correct during Saturday’s win over Manchester City.
The Newcastle United manager has been questioned for some of his team selections of late, particularly after the defeat away at Brentford before the international break.
Howe is not to be absolved of criticism of course, but this season has been rocky for Newcastle United.
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A dramatic summer transfer window left the team in transition and they’ve been playing catch-up ever since.
After recent criticism, Howe certainly deserves credit after Newcastle United beat Man City 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.
With that in mind, here’s a look at three big calls he got absolutely spot on.
Playing Joelinton
Joelinton’s form this season has been disappointing to say the least.
At times, it’s felt as if he should come out of the team for Jacob Ramsey much more often than he actually has done.
Still, the Brazilian was trusted from the off against City and certainly impressed.
Joelinton rolled back the years, producing a fine defensive display and distributing the ball reasonably well. The challenge will be to repeat that consistently, but Joelinton proved worthy of his starting berth.
| Newcastle United vs Manchester City statistics | Joelinton |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Accurate passes | 19/26 (73%) |
| Tackles | 3 |
| Clearances | 5 |
| Headed clearances | 5 |
| Recoveries | 4 |
| Ground duels won | 5/9 (56%) |
| Aerial duels won | 2/3 (67%) |
Dropping Sven Botman
Sven Botman was praised by Pep Guardiola after Newcastle beat Manchester City but there’s little doubt he’s tailed off in recent weeks.
The Dutchman is hardly alone in that but his dip in form has been notable.
He was the only player who started away at Brentford before the break who did not start against City despite being able to.
Fabian Schar, however, stepped in to partner Malick Thiaw and largely played very well indeed. The Swiss could do little about Ruben Dias’ goal.
Botman surely faces a fight on his hands to get back into the side.
Tino Livramento gamble
It would have been easy for Howe to continue to rest Tino Livramento given his recent absence and the relentless fixture schedule coming up.
Obviously, Kieran Trippier’s injury did force his hand somewhat, but Jacob Murphy could feasibly have played as a wing-back. He did, after all, end up playing on the left after Lewis Hall went off.
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Livramento is so important to the way in which Newcastle play that Howe could have been excused for wrapping him in cotton wool.
However, Livramento was trusted from the off and gave Newcastle a new dimension alongside Hall.
Fortune favoured the brave here.
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