NEWCASTLE (H) WED APRIL 6TH 8PM

Lukerz

Yeah think I’d swap Antonio in for Ings but it’s difficult as Ings will score if he gets a chance in the box.

buffybegood

Lukerz said:

Yeah think I’d swap Antonio in for Ings but it’s difficult as Ings will score if he gets a chance in the box.

I think the issue is that we've shown little of late to suggest we'll be able to get the ball to him in the box very often. It is a real dilemma though, as Antonio has shown very little all season tbh, and now Scamacca is out injured again and so is likely further away from the level of "data" that Moyes is looking for from him even once the knee issue is resolved.

An apparent abundance of riches having 3 strikers, but none of them can be relied on to do a job unless we're playing against a bottom half with 9 players.

EXETERHAMMER

Play Ings and Antonio.

ASLEFshrugged

BubblesNeverDies said:

If we play the same formation as yesterday with a lone striker we're not going to get anything.

We've played a lone striker in almost every game since Moyes took over so I don't expect to see anything else and we're going to have a proper battle in the midfield against Guiramaes & Co so I don't think it would be wise to drop a midfielder for a second striker

At the weekend they pressed Man Utd from start to finish, When Man Utd tried to play out from the back Newcastle didn't give them any time on the ball but when Man Utd resorted to hoofing it upfield the Newcastle defence were winning everything in the air.

However by pressing high they left space at the back and while the defence is good in the air they're not the quickest. Maybe through balls, playing down the wings and Antonio's pace could give them some problems?

BubblesNeverDies

Could be a good idea to play Cornet with his pace then.

thornburyiron

Going to be very difficult. Last time they had the ball in our net twice before 9 of our players had had a kick so they will be at it at the off.

Lukerz

They won’t play as they did Sunday. That was a massive game, with memories of the past, & the club & fans were massively up for it. A lot of energy went into it.

They’ll be down a few levels tomorrow. It’s whether ours reach theirs.

Remember we have the 6th best defence in the league, which would be higher if we hadn’t lost 4-0 at Brighton. It’s whether our attacking players can ask enough questions.

But they are a good team. There is no doubt. A draw would be a very good result.

Whitehorsehammer

Antonio looked off the pace again when he came on on Sunday, do we know for sure that Scamacca is not going to be available? Cornet should start.

ASLEFshrugged

Cornet hasn't played since he came on for the last half an hour against Larnaca at home (18 March) and he only had two previous five minute appearances before that

Might be a little rusty

Whitehorsehammer

But he needs game time to loose any rustiness, he has been in full training for three weeks now and has had some game time. He has pace and that is important these days.

BubblesNeverDies

So when do we play him?

Lukerz

With Paqueta showing he can do the ‘dirty’ work, does it really make Soucek’s selection pointless? I just don’t know what he is doing that Paqueta & Rice can’t?

Hamstew

Lukerz said:

With Paqueta showing he can do the ‘dirty’ work, does it really make Soucek’s selection pointless? I just don’t know what he is doing that Paqueta & Rice can’t?

Kicking the ball out of play rather than making a 4 yard pass?

ASLEFshrugged

Moyes might well play a three man midfield to counter Guiramaes, Longstaff and Willock (or Almiron)

So Rice, Paqueta AND Soucek (or Downes) with someone man marking Guiramaes for 90 minutes

OutcastLondoner

If they do leave space behind then I think getting Fornals in for Soucek and Cornet in for Benrahma would be useful for counter attacks. Fornals is still the best at releasing the counter imo and Cornet has that directness we often lack with the inverted wingers. Paqueta seemed deeper than Soucek a lot of the time on Sunday anyway and Fornals is a hard worker, so I don't think it would make our midfield any weaker.

OldCastleSwift

Lukerz said:

With Paqueta showing he can do the ‘dirty’ work, does it really make Soucek’s selection pointless? I just don’t know what he is doing that Paqueta & Rice can’t?

This is the thing. He used to be an absolute menace in the opposition box, which made him undroppable. He seems to have lost that aspect to his game which only serves to highlight how limited he is in other key disciplines.

Love the guy, but he's actually hindering our game at times with his lack of composure and ability with the ball at his feet.

Whitehorsehammer

I agree with Outcast, Fornals for Soucek and Cornet for Benrahma. I know Benrahma had a good game on Sunday but he is wasteful in front of goal, he was against Villa and he is lightweight when he drops back into midfield and has the ball taken off him too easily. Perhaps give Cornet 60 minutes and then bring Benrahma on.

buffybegood

Scamacca out for a while:

“It’s roughly the same squad as Sunday. The only news is that Gianluca Scamacca has two weeks of rehabilitation on his knee.
“We don’t think he needs surgery but we’ll see how the next two weeks go.”

https://www.whufc.com/news/it-happened-david-moyes-pre-newcastle-press-conference

Yeoldhammer

Need to get Cornet minutes, could be a pivotal player going into the final few games

chicagohammer

Yeoldhammer said:

Need to get Cornet minutes, could be a pivotal player going into the final few games

Would like to see him alongside Ings - I really miss the beating a dead horse emoji :-)

Yeoldhammer

chicagohammer said:

Yeoldhammer said:

Need to get Cornet minutes, could be a pivotal player going into the final few games

Would like to see him alongside Ings - I really miss the beating a dead horse emoji :-)

I have advocated since the beginning of the season almost. Since watching Scamacca and previous to that Haller etc to play a 4-4-2 (Diamond) Rice sitting in front of the defence. Paqueta and Benrahma either side and Bowen at the tip in a more central role, Antonio and Ings up top. You could interchange Benrahma, Paqueta, Bowen in that midfield 3 role.

Fortuneseeker

Yeold, I agree & wish there was a banging your head against the wall emoji.

Lukerz

Fabianski
Kehrer - Zouma - Aguerd - Emerson
Bowen - Paqueta - Rice - Fornals
Cornet
Antonio

Could work…

Pengeman

Crucial results in tonight's EPL games have go our way.

Bournemouth 0 Brighton 2
Leicester 1 Aston Villa 2

All we now need to do is to beat Newcastle and we can move to 12th position and have a bit of breathing space.

Come on your Irons! A Bowen hat-trick would do nicely.

steve

Why be greedy would take an own goal to win it

buffybegood

Nice to have a couple of results go our way tonight, any points against Newcastle would be a bonus, a win would be amazing but I'd happily take a point.

chicagohammer

Nice to have a couple of games in hand on those around us, get something tomorrow and we will be breathing a bit easier

Amazingly

ASLEFshrugged

From Howe's press conference

Willock to get late fitness test, Alimron the obvious replacement

Spoke highly of Anthony Gordon, could start instead of Jacob Murphy at RW

buffybegood

ASLEFshrugged said:

From Howe's press conference

Willock to get late fitness test, Alimron the obvious replacement

Spoke highly of Anthony Gordon, could start instead of Jacob Murphy at RW

Almiron isn't expected back until the end of April according to FPL.

ASLEFshrugged

buffybegood said:

Almiron isn't expected back until the end of April according to FPL.

I woke up in the middle of the night, couldn't get back to sleep and typed that

You say potato, I say Joelinton