Eddie Howe needs to drop one of his Newcastle United regulars against Manchester City this weekend.
The Magpies face an unenviable task, as they head to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter final.
Newcastle have a chance to go back to Wembley, but will need to get past last season’s treble winners to do that. There was huge belief after beating Blackburn Rovers in the previous round, but that disappeared as soon as it emerged we would be playing Man City away.
It is another incredibly difficult cup draw for Newcastle, and it is a game in which Eddie Howe needs to make an incredibly difficult decision.
Sean Longstaff should not start for Newcastle on Saturday
Sean Longstaff has started Newcastle’s previous 16 games, and is seriously struggling.
He was massively below bar against Chelsea on Monday night, with the midfielder constantly squandering possession as a sloppy Toon side fell to a 3-2 defeat.
It was recently reported that Longstaff has been playing with an injury as of late, and that has been evident in his recent performances. He appears to be playing through the pain for his club, but it is proving to be to Newcastle’s detriment.
And that is why Howe should take this opportunity to remove Longstaff from his starting lineup and give the local lad a rest. While he has previously been described as a ‘leader’ by Howe, his current form is well below the standard that is required – especially against Manchester City.
Lewis Miley can replace Longstaff vs Man City
That is why Lewis Miley should come back into the team, having started our previous three games on the bench. He is tidier in possession than Longstaff at the moment, and that will be vital against a City team where we will have to work extremely hard to retain the ball.
For so long, Longstaff has been one of Newcastle’s most reliable players. But that is not the case right now, and Howe must take him out of the firing line.
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