Newcastle United have made a decent start to the 2024/25 campaign, but failing to win against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday would mean that Eddie Howe’s side head into the October international break on a three-match winless run.
Centre-forwards Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson are both sidelined, so Anthony Gordon will deputise at number nine once again, but a host of other potential absentees – Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar and Nick Pope – have been given the green light.
Victory over AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday evening came with its issues: Newcastle were laborious in their win, dominating on the ball and lashing plenty of wayward shots somewhere near the goal, but it lacked cohesion and fluency, and some changes will be needed – Sean Longstaff, who started in the middle of the park, among them.
Sean Longstaff's performance vs Wimbledon
Newcastle stumbled through the third round of the Carabao Cup, though did claim victory through Schar’s dispatched penalty before the interval.
Bruno Guimaraes, midfield general, was understandably rested, but the subtraction of his vim and vigour in Howe’s engine room was plainly discernible. Longstaff, aged 26, did little to stake his claim for a role of greater significance after sitting on the bench against Fulham in the Premier League before earning only a short cameo during last week’s draw against Manchester City.
As the table will show you below, he was lacking in combativeness, authority and initiative. Busy. Sure. But not at the level that Howe would have hoped for against League Two opponents, who won 52% of the duels in the contest.
Minutes played
90′
Touches
84
Shots (on target)
2 (1)
Accurate passes
61/69 (88%)
Possession lost
12x
Key passes
0
Dribbles (completed)
0 (0)
Tackles + interceptions
0
Ground duels (won)
6 (1)
Fouls
3
Yellow card
1
The Shields Gazette handed Longstaff a 6/10 match rating after the Carabao Cup win, acknowledging some tidy link-up play but writing that he was ‘in and out of the game’. Honestly? That’s a generous rating for a central midfielder who failed to assert his authority – losing 84% of his ground duels – against opponents who ply their trade three divisions below.
Everton will bring a physical and tenacious approach to this evening’s Premier League clash, and Howe need only cast his mind back to last season’s 3-0 defeat in this fixture to remind himself that, yes, this is a dangerous opponent, a redoubtable ground, no matter the league standings.
Longstaff must not be in the starting line-up.
Who should replace Sean Longstaff
Bruno Guimaraes. That’s that.
Just kidding, but it’s true, Guimaraes is bound to return to the starting line-up on Merseyside, with the Brazilian so talented and influential as the Toon’s nucleus, remarkably winning 8.7 duels per game in the Premier League this season, as per Sofascore. It’s no wonder Man City boss Pep Guardiola has lauded him as an “exceptional holding midfielder”.
That’s at a success rate of 60% too. Longstaff might have been defensively porous in midweek, but he’s usually a bit crisper, winning 52% of his top-flight ground duels this term. That’s just 2.4 per game though, which hardly speaks of robustness and high-level athleticism.
Newcastle would inject a healthy load of positivity if they were to win against Everton before signing off for another international sojourn, and Longstaff must be benched to ensure the task is completed, with Guimaraes returning to the midfield and hopefully flanked by Sandro Tonali and one of Joelinton or Joe Willock.
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