Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe got it wrong on Wednesday night, but it is unclear if he will change things against Sheffield United.
The Magpies were really poor against Crystal Palace, putting in a rather woeful performance that culminated in a 2-0 defeat at Selhurst Park.
Eddie Howe was baffled by how poor his side were in attack at times, with Newcastle United wasting multiple opportunities in and around the Palace box.
Question marks over Newcastle’s formation vs Crystal Palace
Tactically, Howe made a strange decision. He used a 3-4-3 system against Tottenham that worked brilliantly, and he retained it against Crystal Palace. However, it was nowhere near as effective, and ended up hindering the Magpies.
Both Emil Krafth and Jacob Murphy were very disappointing in possession, with Newcastle’s right flank proving to be very weak.
They kept their places in the starting XI despite Tino Livramento being in the squad, and fans were incredibly shocked to see the 21-year-old remain on the bench for the entire 90 minutes.
It seemed very strange that the £32million man would not be called upon, and now Eddie Howe has explained why he did not turn to Livramento at Selhurst Park.
Eddie Howe speaks out about Tino Livramento
Following Newcastle’s 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace, Howe spoke to the Northern Echo. He provided an update on Livramento, and shared whether or not he will feature on Saturday against Sheffield United.
“Tino is still struggling with his ankle,” he said.
“That’s why he didn’t come onto the pitch. He was there for an emergency, really.
“Can he play at the weekend? I’m not sure. We certainly don’t want to give him a longer-term problem. He’s technically fit enough to be able to enter the pitch, but it’s sort of high risk.
“We want to make sure that we don’t give him a longer-term problem, but in terms of what happens moving forward, it probably depends on what other players I have available.”
There needs to be a change against Sheffield United
Whether Livramento is fit or not, Howe has to make a change against Sheffield United. He has to use a conventional right-back, as the system simply did not work on Wednesday night.
Be it Krafth or Murphy, Howe needs to deploy a traditional right-back and revert back to a defensive four.
In an ideal world, Livramento would play there, but it does not sound like he is fit enough to. But that raises questions as to why he is even on the bench, as it seems unnecessary to risk him suffering an even worse injury – especially given his history and how late in the season it is.
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