“Its time for some changes, He’s been so poor this season, it’s time to drop him”- PL pundit says Eddie Howe should drop Newcastle star from starting Xi after poor start to the season
Eddie Howe will be considering major changes to his starting XI when Newcastle United face Brentford after the international break.
The Magpies suffered a gruelling 3-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday night. It was arguably the worst Toon performance since Howe became manager. Too many of Newcastle’s players simply were not at it, and it will likely lead to the manager making some changes for the next game.
Howe has got plenty of time to consider his next move, as Newcastle play Brentford in just under two weeks. It is going to be a painful international break for the Toon boss, as he continues to stew on the disappointment of Saturday evening.
Plenty of players are at risk of losing their place in the starting XI, one of which is Miguel Almiron. The Paraguayan is one player who should be dropped in the eyes of NBC Sports pundit Robbie Mustoe.
The former Middlesbrough player has spoke about Newcastle’s struggles on The 2 Robbies Podcast and suggested that Almiron is one player who should definitely be removed from Howe’s starting lineup next time out.
“I would say now it’s probably time for some team changes,” he said.
“You get three defeats, I know Eddie Howe trusts his players and he wants them to play themselves out of the side before anybody comes in.
“You’ve got Callum Wilson, looked sharp as a tack for me, really sharp, he scored a goal of course later on. Harvey Barnes, Elliot Anderson, time for them to get some minutes.
“I don’t mind the manager sticking with players, Miguel Almiron is one I’m thinking of straight away because he’s just been so poor this season and I think it’s time to drop him, Anthony Gordon, you know he’s had flashes.
“But at this point, three losses, they haven’t really got an argument now, after four games they haven’t really done too much, one or two changes I expect to come from them.”
Almiron is certainly a player whose position in the starting lineup is under threat. He has come under a lot of scrutiny from supporters so far this season, having struggled for the majority of the campaign bar the opener against Aston Villa.
Howe does have options to replace the 29-year-old. The most obvious one would be to move Anthony Gordon over to the right and start Harvey Barnes on the left. Alternatively, Jacob Murphy could come into the fold.
While Howe does need to consider making changes, he does have the luxury of multiple options. Newcastle have got more depth now, meaning they can rotate and mix it up if things aren’t going to plan.
That could lead to Almiron being dropped, but he is not the only Newcastle player whose position is under threat.
